Valdese unites to give children a Christmas to remember

Volunteers at the Waldensian Presbyterian Church will be up bright and early flipping pancakes next Saturday for a fundraiser whose proceeds will be used to make this Christmas more special for under-privileged kids.

The Christmas in July pancake breakfast is a fundraiser for Operation Blue Santa, a community-wide effort between the Valdese Police Department, Valdese Elementary School, and local churches, businesses, and organizations to give kids a memorable Christmas that their parents may, otherwise, be unable to afford.

Operation Blue Santa brings a blue-clad Santa Claus into classrooms from kindergarten to fifth grade at Valdese Elementary, along with Santa’s officers who read Christmas stories and sing carols with the kids.

A lucky group of “lottery winners” are then taken on shopping trips with police officers, where they get to spend up to $500 on items such as toys, clothing, and hygiene items.

Police Chief Marc Sharpe said the goal last year was to raise enough money from fundraisers and donations for 12 kids to participate.

They raised enough for 24.

The pancake breakfast is the first of two major fundraisers for Operation Blue Santa.

OPERATION BLUE SANTA

Sharpe has worked since his arrival at the Valdese Police Department several years ago to make Operation Blue Santa a reality.

“As a new chief, I wanted to bring the department together to do something meaningful for Christmas, and we wanted to try to do something for children,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe approached Valdese Elementary’s school counselor and asked how under-privileged children could be identified without making them feel singled out.

The system they came up with is simple: The counselor identifies children and passes their names along to the police department before Blue Santa kicks off. When Blue Santa officially begins, police officers visit classrooms from kindergarten up to fifth grade to read Christmas stories, sing carols, and of course, bring in Santa Claus. Then, “lottery winners” are announced.

Sharpe chose to call the selected children lottery winners to give the impression their name was pulled from a hat. That way, the kids won’t think they were identified as under-privileged.

Lottery winners go on to spend time with an assigned officer, eating a warm meal before hopping on a bus to go shopping at the Morganton Walmart.

Sharpe added that, if a lottery winner has siblings, the siblings are included in Blue Santa festivities.

The $500 each lottery winner gets is split up into allocations for various categories.

“We even put aside a little of the money for them to buy a gift for someone else of their choice, so they get to know what it feels like to give,” Sharpe said.

Afterwards, the kids get candy canes and hot chocolate.

POSITIVE ASSOCIATIONS

Not only does Blue Santa give kids an unforgettable Christmas experience, but it can also help build a positive relationship with police officers, Sharpe said.

“The police get a chance to bond with the kids, so that hopefully later in life when they have a run-in with the police, they have a positive view of what the police really are about,” Sharpe said.

Reserve Officer Jason Xaysana added, “Instead of just seeing a uniform, (the kids) actually see a person.”

Sharpe said Blue Santa can be a nice change of pace for officers, who so often are dealing with negative situations in their day-to-day work.

Several officers involved in last year’s Blue Santa said it is a heartwarming, fulfilling experience that they are looking forward to this year.

“It’s the one time during the year that I think, as a department, we really get to be involved in something where … we get to give something back and get to be a part of such a positive thing,” Sharpe said.

The event is also fun and at times comical for police officers.

“One kid got a bicycle and was like, ‘I got a bicycle!’” said Officer Tyler Watson, miming an excitedly shouting child. Sharpe said with a chuckle that the child was riding the bike around before they ever left the store.

Watson also ended up with a little situation involving a clothing rack.

“There may or may not have been a clothing display that got kind of messed up,” Watson said, his tone somewhere between sheepish and amused. “It may have not existed for a little bit.”

Watson said he was able to fix the metal rack quickly after his charge dismantled it.

“This thing is so much more than just cops doing something,” Sharpe said. “It’s bringing a community together as a whole to do something positive for kids, and I think we really accomplished that last year. I hope we continue to do it.”