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Pasco residents play Santa in providing holiday gifts to needy children

 
Santa Claus, along with some helpers from the Summertree Ladies Golf League, delivered personally selected, wrapped gifts for Head Start students at Hudson Elementary School.
Santa Claus, along with some helpers from the Summertree Ladies Golf League, delivered personally selected, wrapped gifts for Head Start students at Hudson Elementary School.
Published Dec. 18, 2014

Christmas came early this year for the Head Start prekindergarten students at Hudson Elementary School.

On Dec. 12, teacher Patricia Blom led the 18 students into the media center, which had been transformed into a winter wonderland — a room adorned with a fully decorated tree, vibrant lights and oversized snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. Then she asked, "Who's coming soon?"

"Santa!" they replied in unison.

"And what do you want Santa to bring you?" Blom asked.

"A doll!" replied Genevieve Gorney, a prekindergarten student dressed for the occasion in a festive holiday dress.

Genevieve then watched with wide eyes as Santa Claus himself strolled into the media center, showering the students with brightly wrapped gifts. And when Genevieve opened one of her packages, she revealed a miniature version of the character Lambie from the popular television show Doc McStuffins.

"I got a Lambie doll!" she exclaimed with a smile.

Also elated was Brenna Hennessy, who proudly showed Blom her new pink gloves.

"Look at these!" she exclaimed.

Watching from the sidelines with broad smiles were an elite group of Santa's helpers — women from the Summertree Ladies Golf League, representing the Summertree community in Hudson. For the 14th year, the group personally shopped and wrapped gifts for the Head Start students, making sure that each received four or five gifts of toys and clothes, plus hat and glove sets as well as candy, fruit and stickers. Golf league representatives Patti Terry, Joy Lotito, Irene Simard, Elizabeth Graziani, Judy Stall and Norma Sartell were there to see the children open their presents.

"I'm so glad their dreams come true," said Lotito, who took pictures as students performed a short program of Christmas music and opened their gifts. "This is my favorite part of Christmas."

Also looking on were the smiling parents of the Head Start children, including Alissa Ballesteros, who watched her son, Lewis, open gifts.

"You can tell these ladies have beautiful souls," Ballesteros said.

Lewis agreed.

"I love opening presents," he said.

Residents of Betmar Acres in Zephyrhills also stepped up to help children in need this year, providing the students of West Zephyrhills Elementary School with nearly 300 sets of hats and gloves in brightly colored, kid-friendly styles, along with additional gifts of clothes, scarves, puzzles, notebooks and pencils, crafts and candies.

At a Dec. 9 holiday program at the Betmar Acres clubhouse, co-sponsored by Betmar Realty, Betmar representatives Dee Payne and Bryan Toll also presented a cash donation to Becky Bishop, parent involvement coordinator at West Zephyrhills Elementary. The money will be used to buy clothes, shoes and school supplies for students.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," Bishop said. "You've done so much for the children of WZES."

This marks the 14th year that Bishop and Betmar have joined forces to help the students of West Zephyrhills Elementary, where 86 percent of the students qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program. As she prepares to retire next year, Bishop reflected on the kindness that Betmar residents have shown to her students.

"Sometimes, children come into my office with little cold hands and ask me for gloves. Others need clothes and shoes," Bishop said. "These kids know that, at Betmar, they have grandmas and grandpas who care about them. There's always that special bond."

During the program at the clubhouse, West Zephyrhills first-graders, under the direction of first-grade teachers Kathy Kessler and Lynda Miller, presented a program of Christmas music for Betmar Acres residents. Also in attendance was Amanda Keith, representative of Thomas Promise, the nonprofit agency that supplies weekend and holiday food packs to needy students in Pasco County, and Barbara Green, a retired teacher and resident of Zephyrhills' Oaks Royal neighborhood who knitted about 100 hat and glove sets to contribute to Betmar's effort.

At the end of the day, Payne and Bishop shared a warm hug to celebrate their longtime partnership on behalf of children in need.

"It was a great day in my life when I met you," Payne told Bishop.