To the Editor:
Through your generosity, 32 families consisting of 82 children received toys, clothing, coats, food and
toiletries. Your contribution, along with donations from the Bowling Green High School DECA Harvest for
Hunger Drive, First Insurance Group, Newlove Realty, Valencia Shoes, Buick GMC and Bobel Builders
enabled "Dear Santa" to provide assistance which went beyond the usual toy lists.
A special thank you to Bowling Green City School staff who donated not only money, but time to shop,
stuff envelopes, gather toiletries, wrap and deliver gifts to children. For the fourth consecutive year,
Bowling Green Meijer generously supported the Dear Santa Society by donating gift cards which allowed
volunteers to shop for families. Thank you to BGFFA members for providing 32 bushels of fresh fruit and
sponsoring one family. We appreciate the continued support from Chapter AA PEO, BGEA and Bowling Green
OAPSE. Thank you to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church for donating the November Noisy Offering to support our
families. Thank you and welcome to Bowling Green Kiwanis for joining "Dear Santa" and
supporting our efforts. Once again, our favorite ladies from Project Linus donated many beautiful
handmade blankets to keep children warm.
Each year is filled with special moments and this year is no exception. A little girl fell in love with
the violin and all she wanted for Christmas was a violin to call her own. A worried mom tried to
redirect her daughter’s wish to something more practical, but the little girl confidently asserted that
Santa would not only bring her a violin, but a case to take good care of it as well. As it turns out,
she was right and Santa, Dallas Black, provided a beginner violin with 25 lessons for this future
musician.
Sadly, one mother told her children there was no Santa. She hoped to soften the reality of a barren
Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Fortunately, she was wrong and Santa not only provided gifts for
the children but updated her rent and utility bills to keep the family in their home. He also left a
special gift of "The Polar Express" and a sleigh bell to remind her that Santa is alive and
well in Bowling Green.
For these families and all of the Dear Santa families, Santa is real and working through all of you.
Dee Szalejko and Cindy Maas
Bowling Green High School Teachers & Santa’s Elves