Santa Arrives By Motorcycle At RCMA

An excited buzz sounded from the 50 pre-school children at the Redlands Christian Migrant Association's Hope Villa day care center on Youth Care Lane Friday afternoon when Santa Claus arrived - riding in a motorcycle sidecar.

A loud chorus of cheers came from the children when Santa, also known as Russell Packett, asked, "Has everybody been a good girl or boy?"

And the cheers and squeals got louder when he asked, "Are we ready to get some toys?"

There couldn't have been many, if any, places with more smiles as Santa passed out the gifts, courtesy of the Highlands County chapter of the ABATE (American Bikers Aiming Toward Education) motorcycle group.

Larry Overview, president of the chapter, said members launched a second drive this year for RCMA after completing their 23rd annual Toy Run fundraiser on Dec. 6. That event raised about $4,000 with which ABATE sponsored shopping trips for nine families.

"We took up a special collection (of toys and cash) to give to their children here," he said. "And we couldn't have done it without Faith Lutheran Church, they donated the majority of the toys."

Carmen Esquilin, coordinator of the RCMA's Child Development Center here, said she was pleased with the donation, which was a first.

Though she tried to find sponsors in past years, she said, this was the first time that any group had sponsored a toy donation for the children from low-income families in the Head Start and Pre-Head Start programs.

And, Esquilin said, bringing in Santa was a big bonus.

"I'm very happy because we have toys for all the children," Esquilin said. "For two weeks they were waiting for Santa, asking, 'When is Santa coming? When is Santa coming?'"

As he stood at the back of the crowd, watching children unwrapping their gifts while others went up to meet Santa, Overfield said he hopes to have ABATE bring Santa back to Hope Villa's day care next year, and possibly also to RCMA's other child care centers in Avon Park and Lake Placid.

"After seeing this today, we'd like to come back next year," he said. "If I'm elected president next year, I'm going to push it, and I don't there there will be any problem. Just look at the faces of the children."

Packett spent about an hour in the bright sunshine meeting each of the 50 children, then stayed as some of the pre-schoolers came up to see him again and show Santa their new toy.

"Who couldn't enjoy this?" he said as a boy about three years old asked him to help unravel the plastic twists holding a bright new toy truck in a box.