Recently, I had the joy of playing Santa for about nine hundred kids, for a non-profit my wife and I helped found called Estamos Unidos de Pennsylvania which provides educational scholarships and leadership opportunities for the youth in our community who otherwise don’t have access to appropriate resources or funds. This is my fifteenth year playing Santa Claus.
The organization is totally volunteer-run. The annual Christmas party for the children, called La Fiesta de Niño, started as a sub sandwich sale in the hopes of feeding some people and giving toys away for those who needed a little Christmas cheer. Over the years the project grew beyond what we could ever imagine; there is now entertainment, community-service vendors, and over a thousand gifts are donated and given away to families and children. La Fiesta de Niño is always the day that Christmas begins for me. It is a day to remember how fortunate I am to have been given so much through my life. I had a stable home, complete with storybook Christmas Eves, tree decorating and Christmas cookies. Toys and gifts abounded and the aroma of food fill every room in the house. I fondly remember those moments. When the kids look into my eyes with such awe, I realize that most of them never will have the Christmas experience I had growing up. I am in a curious position, being the coroner of Dauphin County. December is busy for me; homicides, drug deaths and accidents always increase over the holidays. Each day I am reminded that as songs of joy and hope play over the radio, and grocery stores and department stores fill up with last minute shoppers, there are others out there just praying for another day of survival. We must be aware and share the gift of love for those who have never had that storybook Christmas. It is when we give that we realize that this is the greatest gift of all—knowing that we are all brother and sisters. Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.
3 Comments
Tina
12/24/2016 04:05:38 pm
This is such a noble thing to do and one that most wouldn't even think of. I was raised in the national federation of the blind and I remember every year helping the blind with dinner and gifts and the party. My mom was legally blind and my step father was totally blind. I try to give my daughter the Christmases that I didn't have growing up. I know I've taught her well when we go to the store and she takes money from get own purse and at the age of nine donates it without me saying a word. She wants to buy people shehardly knows gifts because "no-one should go without Christmas" I personally thank you for all you and your wife do for the less fortunate.
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Rosanne Govea
12/25/2016 06:08:06 am
I love this picture. Those two bundles in your arms are adorable. You are making memories for these children that will probably last a lifetime. It may not be a storybook Christmas like you and I enjoyed when we were children, but Christmas has changed a lot for children these days. My own children's Christmas' weren't like mine, but we made the best of what we had. You are doing a great service to the community. Christmas is for everybody. Thank you, Santa for the joy you share.
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