by Dennis Dalman
Sartell city staff, along with members of the city council, will join Santa Claus to deliver gifts to families and hospital patients Dec. 22, the same day as the city’s “Santa Tour.”
The Santa Helpers program, a joint effort of the city and the chamber of commerce, is requesting donations to make the gift-delivery a big success. The deadline for donations of cash, checks, gifts or gift cards is Thursday, Dec. 16.
The gifts will be delivered to CentraCare’s St. Cloud Hospital – its neo-natal intensive care unit, its pediatrics ward and also to Clara’s House. The latter, operated by CentraCare, is a partial hospitalization program for children and adolescents ages 5-18 who may be having emotional, behavioral or psychiatric difficulties.
The goal of the Santa Helpers program is to allow children who are hospitalized a bit of holiday cheer since they cannot be in their homes during the Christmas season.
Those who want to donate gifts, books or other holiday items should contact Nikki Sweeter, Sartell’s engagement director. Her email is nikki.sweeter@sartellmn.com. Sweeter will send a list of what kinds of items are needed – gift cards, cash, checks. Those items can be delivered to city hall’s lobby walk-up window on either Dec. 15 or Dec. 16. Sweeter will use the gift cards to purchase the gifts, or they can be assigned to families depending on their needs.
If people wish to sponsor an entire family, Sweeter said she has lists for the kinds of gifts on each family’s Christmas wish list. If some people wish instead to donate to the CentraCare kids’ program, Sweeter can send them a list of the kinds of gifts – mainly arts-and-crafts supplies.
The Santa Tour is a city initiative with help from the Sartell Fire Department. The tour involves Santa being driven around in Sartell so he can wave to children in front of their houses. It starts on Dec. 22 at the Sartell Public Safety building (fire-and-police departments) on Pinecone Road. The time of the tour and its route have not been released yet. They will be announced on the Sartell City Facebook page well before Dec. 22 so anyone interested should keep checking the Sartell Facebook page as the event approaches.
