Scene & Heard - Jolly Great Time: Group of special kids gets an early visit from Santa

Yes, Winston-Salem, there is a Santa Claus.

The jolly man was at Breakfast With Santa on Saturday morning, along with all the joy, kindness and magic that is wrapped up in his image.

Hosted by Family Support Network of Greater Forsyth, the event was held at Holy Family Catholic Church from 9 am to noon. The breakfast is for children with special needs and their families, and 188 children attended, with a total of 335.

Walking into the room was like entering the workshop at the North Pole -- every corner was filled with Christmas activities. Stockings and toys were carefully displayed; pancakes and eggs were hot off the griddle; and, of course, Santa was posing for pictures, making sure he got everyone's wish list down pat. A massive bouncy-house anchored the left side of the room, and stations of crafts and specially adapted equipment for shooting hoops and playing games lined the edges of the room. It was as though Christmas had arrived three weeks early.

Adding to the atmosphere of giving was the fact that many facets of the community came together to present the delightful and memorable event. The Knights of Columbus provided and cooked all of the food for the breakfast. Local Girl Scouts, the Junior League of Winston Salem's Helping Hands and Career Center students were just some of the volunteers, and donations came from Whole Foods, the Ronald McDonald House and the N.C. Prison Inmates, Southern Correctional Institution.

Kimberly Horton, a Junior League volunteer, was organizing books and laying out markers to help decorate bookmarks. "This is a phenomenal event for the community to put on for other members of the community. It's a pretty elaborate event, and it really just brings home the real meaning of the holidays," she said.

Susan Frye, principal at the Special Children's School, was with Betty Cole, family-support coordinator at Family Support Network. Frye was playing Santa's elf, arranging all of the families around the jolly and extremely convincing Santa John, a true professional Santa. "Every year Family Support Network has offered this special gathering for special needs families. It's wonderful to share the fun and cheer of the holiday, and it's a unique opportunity to connect with one another. FSN has helped so many special-needs families in Forsyth County, and this is an amazing day. I feel very blessed to be a part of it," Frye said.

Long tables covered in green-and-red tablecloths lined the right side of the room, and were positioned next to the extensive breakfast spread. Diane Hopgood and her daughter, Paige, 5, were tucking into some plate-size pancakes. "It's great that this event happens because everyone here has a child with different needs and everyone's accepted. Also, all of the volunteers understand and are amazing helpers. It's just a great day," she said.

Among those busy in the kitchen were Pat O'Doherty and Dan Levstek, members of the Knights of Columbus. "It's a lot of fun for us back here working together, and it's even more fun to see the families enjoying it. It's really easy to recruit volunteers when they know how special this event is," O'Doherty said.

Wayne Kennedy was at the reindeer station with his children Eva, 4, and Jordan, 7. They were making brown-paper reindeer bags and filling them with reindeer food, which they will sprinkle on their lawn Christmas Eve, to ensure that Santa finds their house. "We have been coming for three years, and we love it. It's such a large event for special-needs children, and that it includes siblings is so nice, so we can all be together. It's a great way to kick off the holiday season," Kennedy explained.

Brinna Graffis, 10, was hanging out at the fishing-for-candy-canes station. Her parents Matt and Michelle stood by watching. "Normally it's tough getting her up in the morning, but when we asked her if she wanted to meet Santa this morning, she got right up. Looking at all of these children here, they don't have a care in the world today," Mr. Graffis said.

Family Support Network program director Chris Gentry was busy walking around and manning the front door. "It's great to see so many different parts of the community come together and have fun. No one's that different here because everyone's different," she said.

Nearby, Celine Heinecke watched as her children Malone, 4, and Anais, 6, had reindeer painted on their faces. "I can't say enough about this event. It really brings some special joy to children with developmental delays. The cost can be overwhelming sometimes, so for the whole family to have a day of just fun is priceless."

cworf@wsjournal.com


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