Key Club Gives Santa a Hand

Over 100 local children will have a brighter Christmas this year thanks to Santa’s helpers at UVA and FMS. The University of Virginia’s CKI, a part of the Kiwanis family, and Fishburne Military School’s Key Club joined forces over the weekend to host a “Breakfast with Santa” in Charlottesville.

Playing out like a Christmastime movie, the effort to bring holiday joy to underpriviledged children throughout the Charlottesville area was in trouble. The demand for help was outweighing the supply of toys and the day of Santa’s big visit was drawing ever nearer. It was beginning to look as though Christmas just wasn’t going to arrive for some little boys and girls.

That’s when the University of Virginia’s CKI (a member of the Kiwanis family) remembered this year’s Governor’s Project (Super “K”)  to bring all levels of Kiwanians together for the good of the community. CKI Lieutenant Governor Tameka Glover got on the phone to Fishburne’s Key Club Advisor Debbie Todd and plans went into motion.

Fishburne Cadets quickly took up the challenge and began gathering toys and coordinating donations for the cause. Cadets came back to campus from Thanksgiving break with armloads of gifts and kept up their efforts right up until the time they loaded up two giant sacks of  treasures and headed to Charlottesville on Sunday.

Seven FMS Key Clubbers met up with their UVA counterparts at 8am and set to work on sorting toys, decking the halls and organizing games. By the time that the area children began flowing through the doors everything was in place. The Cadets took charge of playing games with the children and keeping them entertained until the big moment.

And then came Santa…and the “Christmas miracle” ending to the story. The children jumped for joy and beamed as each anxiously waited for their chance to climb atop Santa’s knee and find out just what the jolly old elf had brought for them in his bag. Well over 100 little boys and girls took their turn and shuffled off thrilled with their new gift…and the gifts kept flowing, and kids kept coming.

When the event came to a close and Santa took his leave, the Cadets and Wahoos stood amazed…the toys they had worked so hard to bring together amounted to just enough for each needy child to share in the wonder of Christmas.