Santa Visit Adventures

Clad in red with his snowy white beard, Santa Claus made a special visit to Adventures in Learning’s annual Holiday Party. Students gasped when they saw him peeking into the classrooms. They had waited all morning just to catch the tiniest glimpse of him, and were finally thrilled to tell Santa what he or she wanted for Christmas. When he was done, Santa gave a merry “Ho! Ho! Ho!” and bade a quick farewell as he dashed to his sleigh for the return trip to the North Pole. The children called out their thanks to him, hoping to see him next year.
Adventures’ Annual Holiday party was made possible by the generous, caring spirit of local neighbors and community groups from Manhasset and Great Neck. Spending every free minute, they gathered toys, books and other assorted gifts for the children, wrapping and delivering them to Adventures. Of course, all of this was done with the impetus and overall supervision of Santa.
Families from Great Neck’s Saddle Rock Elementary School under the leadership of Eti Sadon, and Manhasset’s Shelter Rock Elementary School’s families, were among the local organizations that also provided toys and other gifts. Sadon and her twin daughters, students at Saddle Rock, took great joy in arranging the presents.
Annie Holdreith, of Daniel Gale Real Estate in Manhasset, organized a toy drive. She enthusiastically noted that, “everyone at Daniel Gale was happy to participate and make a difference in the children’s lives.”
The Congregational Church of Manhasset and the Community Reformed Church organized toy drives for Adventures, too, while local Manhasset attorney Rita Eredics and her fellow Manhasset Kiwanis Club members once again assembled packages of warm hats, scarves and gloves for each student.
For over seven years, Regina Papa and her Secret Santas from Plandome have quietly delivered gifts to Adventures, too. Papa said, “Every year someone says to me that this secret gift-giving makes them feel so good, so we did it again! We are blessed to be able to do this.”
Bill Collard (aka Santa) said, “I stopped by Adventures to assist Santa Claus in providing gifts to the children. As always, I received far more from the children in terms of kindness and enthusiasm than I was able to give to them in presents.”
AIL’s executive director, Diana Holden, commented that she “loves the annual holiday party because it brings our community together in such a wonderfully festive and giving way. Everyone at Adventures is
most appreciative.”