Charlottesville K-Family Brings Santa's Joy to Hundreds
by Jim Hart

The Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville has provided a "Holiday Party for Persons with Disabilities" for nearly thirty years, while CKI at the University of Virginia conducted its very first "Breakfast with Santa" for the Boys & Girls Club of Charlottesville/Albemarle. Both events were resounding successes. On December 6, more than 85 children and families from the local Boys & Girls Club were treated to a scrumptious breakfast catered by Aramark at the University Student Activities Building. CKI members decorated the hall and staffed dozens of game stations which entertained young and old alike for the whole morning, while Santa (portrayed by past Kiwanis president Philip Day) met with the kids and handed out dozens and dozens of presents. Then in the evening of December 15, two dozen Kiwanians gathered at WorkSource Enterprises and served a barbecue dinner to a record number of 140 clients of the ARC of the Piedmont, Region Ten Community Services Board, and WorkSource Enterprises along with their caregivers. Everyone was amazed by the spirited antics of Mr. Magic of Freckles & Friends and the room erupted with screams of delight when Santa (again depicted by Charlottesville Kiwanian Philip Day) made his entrance and distributed candy canes. The club funded these events through its 76th annual sale of Christmas Trees and even managed to spend eight hours ringing the bell for the Salvation Army outside Sam's Club on Saturday December 13. The success of all of these December events shows that the Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville and the K-Family has established itself as one of this community's leaders sharing Christmas joy to the children and families in need.