Holiday Magic Arrives at Camp Allyn
Date posted: December 12, 2018
Erin A. shows off her holiday goodies from Santa.
On Dec. 11, participants of Stepping Stones’ Adult Day Services program enjoyed a heart-warming holiday celebration at Camp Allyn.
The holiday bash featured a full day of festivities and was thoughtfully organized by community volunteer Todd Little. For Todd, the goal was to bring holiday magic to Camp Allyn and through a series of thoughtful surprises – magic was truly in the air.
Traveling Choir Performance
Soon after the adults arrived in the morning, the surprises quickly began to unfold. While decorating a Christmas tree, they watched in awe as bags and bags of presents were delivered and lined up around the room. Accompanying the presents was the 7 Hills Church choir who had traveled from Northern Kentucky to Batavia to perform a set of everyone’s favorite holiday carols.
After a couple of songs, the choir paused for the adults to receive their first gift of the day: Santa hats with the words ‘Camp Allyn’ proudly embroidered on the cuff. The choir then continued with our participants merrily singing along in their new hats. Having recently learned how to sign “Jingle Bells”, a group of adults also joined the choir on stage for a special finale.
Following the choir performance, the room was cleared to create a dance floor and a DJ arrived to play a set of classic party hits and holiday music. From the Macarena to a conga line, our participants each showed off their dance moves before breaking for a pizza party lunch.
Surprise Visitor from the North Pole
While enjoying their pizza, calls of “Ho, ho, ho” rang out in the air and Santa entered the room for a surprise visit. For many of the participants, it was their first opportunity getting to meet Santa in person and they eagerly greeted him with hugs. Santa then took time to visit with everyone one-by-one – gifting them each with a bag filled with holiday goodies and a personalized greeting card.
“I can’t believe it,” Jodi S., exclaimed. “Somehow Todd found the real Santa.”
Holiday Ornament Decorating
After Santa had the chance to chat with everyone individually, they all said their goodbyes and wished him a safe trip back to the North Pole. The adults then received their third gift of the day: a white holiday ornament with paints and brushes for decorating. Gathering around tables, they personalized their ornaments while reminiscing on their favorite parts of the day.
“Seeing how happy everyone was and many getting to meet Santa for the first time brought tears to my eyes,” shared Adult Day Services Director Kim Lanthorn. “It was one jaw-dropping moment after the next.”
Enjoy pictures of Adult Day Services holiday party at Camp Allyn, below:
