Glad to see Santa again
APPROXIMATELY 200 children with special needs were in a party mood on Thursday as they were entertained by ‘Santa Claus’ and ‘Clowny’ at a treat organised by the Inspire to Empower a Change Foundation, the Sanmerna Foundation and the Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC).
The treat was held inside the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre in St Andrew.
When the children weren’t having their faces painted by Clowny, they rocked and danced with Santa Claus to music courtesy of the Pembroke Hall High School band.
Seventeen-year-old Randolph Lopez School of Hope student Keon Harris was wowed by the event.
“This treat is wonderful; I finally got to see Santa. It’s been two years that I never really get to come out and see Santa because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
His schoolmate, 17-year-old Shanae Irving, shared that the treat was “a lot of fun”.
There was no doubt that Daniel Francis of the Abilities Foundation enjoyed himself. He danced for most of the treat and even entered a dance contest, which he won.
“I feel good,” he told the Observer after the competition.
Robert White, managing director of Sanmerna Paper Products, said the essence of the event was to bring an early Christmas treat to children with challenges.
“These kids look forward to their Christmas party each year. They look forward to their toys, food, and they look forward to the chance to dance with us. They also look forward to having the clown to paint their faces. This is how we share the blessings that the Lord gave us, and we are going to continue to share the joy,” he said.
“This is the sixth year of staging this event. Today is a blessed day for us and today is a happy day for them. From the very first year when Inspire to Empower a Change invited us to join them, it was a blessing and we ran with it,” added White.
His brother, Mark White, was obviously overjoyed when he saw the exuberance from the children.
“The children are happy. You could see that when Clowny stepped into the venue, it lit up. We brought them gifts because they always look forward to getting toys, and we gave them a meal. We are always here for them, even when it is not Christmas time,” he said.
Anita Dean, one of the co-founders of Inspire to Empower Change, was proud that after six years the event has grown stronger, despite bumps along the way.
“We continue to inspire, to empower, and to make a change in the lives of people we deal with on a daily basis with special needs. I remember when they couldn’t gather here in this fashion and we had to think innovatively in order to reach them. Sanmerna and JUTC made it possible, along with other sponsors, to go and bring the Christmas cheer to them,” said Dean.
