Merry Christmas, Big and Little...

Not sure how I missed it, but I wrote this a couple of weeks ago and only today, while preparing another post, did I realize I never posted it!

Today (10 December) was a great day – got to do something we did last year for work, which was deliver Santa Claus to the second annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of Martin County Big and Little Christmas Party, an extension of the BBBS Santa Claus Open golf tournament.  What a hoot!

You see, last year we got a call from Santa Claus that his sleigh was in the shop for its annual pre-Christmas tune up, but that he had this committment to drop by this very special Christmas Party, and that the Martin County Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit could bring him by, but their helicopter is green and white, and with ours matching Santa’s red, white and gold color scheme perfectly, would we consider helping him out.  Are you kidding… pass on a chance to help Santa and Big Brothers Big Sisters at the same time… you betcha!

Santa arrived at the base around 11:30, posed for a few photos with Capt. Blank and Flight Medics Sorrells and Gordils (a great team, by the way), checked in on the radio and then was off for a quick aerial tour of Martin County while we staged the kids and prepped the landing zone at The Grace Place on Salerno Road (big thank-you to Grace Place, who for two years now has been kind enough to let BBBS use their facility for the party, which drew around a hundred folks this year).

With the Bigs and Littles all outside, “Santa One” made a couple of recon/vanity orbits around the site, called inbound, and then landed, delivering their precious cargo.  Seeing the kids’ excitement and reaction was awesome, and the adults loved it too (who wouldn’t?).  Santa visited outside in a sea of kids of all ages, then posed for a few photos and headed back to the north pole.

Besides helping out Big Brothers Big Sisters (disclosure: I’m on the board), this kind of community event has to be the most fun and one of the most rewarding aspect of associating with LifeStar and Martin County Fire Rescue.  Providing positive exposure to public safety personnel and careers helps everyone and the community at large, but putting a smile on a child’s face is so easy, but something we don’t always have the opportunity (or take the time) to do. 

Thanks to Fred, Jim, Chuck from LifeStar, Bill and Ed Bee and Gigi Suntum and all the other folks from Big Brothers Big Sisters, and most of all our Bigs, who really make the rubber meet the road in BBBS by mentoring Littles that are all the better for it.

Great way to start of the holiday season, if you ask me…