Transcript

Special Santa is a large operation. We run it across our five regions and almost every program in Hillside is involved in Special Santa throughout the year. We give out over 7000 gifts a year to our youth in our programming. People are doing it for the mission, they're not doing it to get paid, they're they're doing it for the youth and families that we serve. The early days of Special Santa were a lot different than they are now. We really based it more on just the the youth that were in program and now not only do the youth get gifts, but the siblings do too so that they feel special and included as well. The first time I did Special Santa, there was no place to house the gifts, so I brought them all to my apartment and we had a wrapping party at my apartment on Christmas Eve with all the staff that weren't working and then we brought them over to the unit for the children that were there. The program at Hillside for the Special Santa has grown immensely. The employees will get a wish list. They'll either talk to the families about what the child likes, their interests, you know, whether it's sports or they need a stuffed animal. They would want blanket board games. So we plan a day to come down to the warehouse to shop or a family to our staff. So I think having our staff work together, something easy and natural for all of us. Youth, you know, maybe money's tight, maybe things are going on in their home and then they're just not able to get the things that they really want and they are not able to feel special on that day, every day. One of my main goals just in my personal life is to try to make the world a better place. My mother was a Hillside child. I was actually a Hillside Work-Scholarship child, so I wanted to give back to the program. Their lives have not always been ideal, and as long as I'm here at Hillside, I will make sure that it's the best. That they have. The kids see us first and they run to us with those thank you, thank you, thank you. It's another one of the beautiful things being there that morning when they actually are opening those gifts. I think they really feel like this is mine. It's special, it's unique to me. It's not just a one-size-fits all. They feel like the gifts were curated toward their interests and I think that is something that's really special. It's amazing being a part of this Special Santa tradition that's been going on for 50 years. It's a testament to how much this community is supporting the work that we're doing with our youth. Walking into a store and seeing Special Santa for Hillside and you get excited to see that the community is supporting. They can see the benefits that it is putting on for these families and without all these donations from outside providers we wouldn't be able to continuing this for the next 50, you know, years to come. For me, it's been a joy to see the incredible generosity of all of these communities that are supported by Hillside throughout Rochester and well beyond Rochester. Knowing that at the other side of each and every one of those gifts is a child that we've been able to bring joy and comfort to during what could otherwise be a challenging time. We've really enjoyed being a part of this program and we're hoping that others will join us as well. When it comes to history with Hillside, Special Santa program spans over 3 decades and is usually led by an employee who takes on the fundraising activities. The total collection to date has been over $200,000. There's something about Special Santa for us. It's about making kids feel seen, their wants being acknowledged, and something is simple as a gift, bringing joy to someone that's not a basic need. It's spreading joy. There's no way that all this organization and all this stuff behind the scenes could happen without some sort of magic. And like that spark, it just it all comes together when it needs to come together. So I always tell the kids, there is that magic. And I still in my own personal life, believe that too.