Secret Santa's Elves Visit the Cambridge Lions

A couple of Santa Claus’s helpers visited the Cambridge Lions Club to tell about the Secret Santa program. Dave and Marilyn White told the club members about how they make the program work in Guernsey County.  (Pictured Left:  Dave and Marilyn White with Lion Tim McKim)

“I have a sweatshirt with a picture of Santa that says, ‘I believe’,” said Mrs. White. “If I even think it, I know something will happen.”

“We had a call from a family that needed a wheel chair for one of the family members. They wanted that instead of toys for Christmas. I thought about how we could fulfill that Christmas wish.”

“I didn’t know how we were going to do that. Then Dave called saying that he didn’t know if we could use it, but someone wanted to donate a wheel chair and wondered if we could use it. That family got a wheel chair.”

“It’s the generosity of this community that makes the Secret Santa program work,” said Mrs. White. “Without the support of the people we would have some children who may not have anything for Christmas.”

 “It’s truly a community effort,” said Dave White. “I would ‘guesstimate’ that we have three hundred to four hundred people that help deliver the gifts. Every one of the fourteen fire departments in the county helps by giving their time to help deliver the gifts.”

“Local stores have been great, especially the drug stores. They give us discounts on the toys we buy for the children.  Wal-Mart gave us a grant. We get donations from people and organizations.”

“We have volunteers who help wrap presents,” said Mrs. White. “We have a truck driver in his twenties and a woman in her nineties who help wrap them.”

“We have several women who are homebound who make what we call bingo bags, little bags that can be attached to a wheel chair that we give to people in nursing homes. They can put pencils and other things in them when they use their wheel chairs. We visit all seven nursing homes in the county.”

“When we started the Secret Santa program years ago we had thirty-some families in need that requested assistance with gifts for their children,” said Mrs. White. “In recent years we have coordinated our efforts with other agencies that also give them gifts.”

“With the economy the way it is this year we still have five hundred thirty six names of children who are not being served by other agencies. We will continue taking names until Christmas Eve.”

“When we get a call from a parent we ask for the children’s ages. We then select gifts for them. We then divide the gifts up into routes to follow when we deliver the gifts. We separate them into those that go out into the county and those that go in town, said Mrs. White.

“When it’s time to deliver the gifts we start at about 5:30 and we won’t get done until sometime between 12:00 and 1:30 Christmas morning.”

“We have done this for a number of years so we are looking for someone to take over coordinating the Secret Santa program. We will be glad to train someone in how we organize it.”

To donate to the Secret Santa program or to volunteer your time in helping wrap gifts, call the Whites at 740.439.0934 or 740.260.6685.