225 kids have breakfast with Santa at Medina Memorial
MEDINA – Medina Memorial Hospital’s fifth annual Breakfast with Santa was a record breaker, with 225 children participating.
Cindy Perry, health, wellness and community outreach director with Community Partners, helped organize the event. She said this year’s number was more than double the 100 who attended last year.
In fact, there were so many, Santa and Mrs. Claus had to be moved from the lobby to another room in the hospital.
Children got their pictures taken with Santa, and then could go to the craft table where volunteers from GCASA helped them make picture frames. There was another area to decorate Christmas cookies to take home.
Santa’s elves handed each child a stuffed toy, packet of hot chocolate and a candy cane.
This was the second year Perry’s niece and husband Jamie and Jay Klotz brought their children Averi and A.J. to the event. Averi said her mom had her list for Santa Claus.
Amanda Luckman of Lyndonville came with her children Madilynn, 5, and Daniel, 2. Madilynn was going to ask Santa for a dog she saw on TV, which comes with a Barbie Doll. She even cleaned her room in the morning, so Santa would know what a good girl she has been.
Daniel, who wore his best hat to greet Santa, was going to ask for trains, tractors and fire trucks.
GCASA offered to sponsor the crafts table, which was funded with help from the Leon Sidari Fund. Leon was 4 when he died from the flu last Christmas. His parents are Albion natives Laura (Lyman) and Tony Sidari. Leon loved Christmas and snowmen, Perry said.
Sarah Stendts with GCASA said it was a wonderful thing the hospital did for the children.
“It’s been fun,” she said.