By
Tara Adams and Katie Canfield, CHS Journalism Students
Breakfast
with Santa is an annual event hosted at Cloverleaf High School for children in
the area to enjoy.
Cloverleaf’s
Prevention Director Deb Bican has been planning the occasion for the past 14
years. The previous Cloverleaf director had the idea to create an event like
this for the community.
Santa’s
Brunch is open to children of all ages and features a wide variety of
activities, including candy cane crafts with beads, temporary tattoos,
face-painting, coloring and cookie-decorating. Mr. and Mrs. Claus also will make
an appearance at the event, and the children and families are welcome to take
pictures and talk with them.
“The kids
love being able to sit on Santa’s lap and talk to him. Having Mr. and Mrs.
Claus there has really increased the count every year,” Bican said.
The cost
for the event is $7 for adults, $5 for children 4-12, and free for children
under 3. The money collected is used directly towards the event for food and
supplies. All extra profits are donated to the prevention programs offered here
at Cloverleaf High School.
Santa’s
Brunch will be this Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cloverleaf
High School cafeteria.
The food
at the brunch will be generously provided by the Cloverleaf food service staff
and all the workers will be Cloverleaf staff and student volunteers.
It takes
quite a bit of planning, according to Bican. It’s not a solo job. Brandy
Miracle, another prevention staff member, is very generous in helping and there
are plenty of student volunteers.
“I get
quite a bit of help to get everything set up,” Bican said. “We have to set up
and decorate the tree, make all the treat bags and enhance the cafeteria with
Christmas garnish.”
This long
process does not go unnoticed. The amount of people at the event varies, but
there is usually a very good turnout.
“We have
definitely had amazing turnouts in the past,” said Bican. “One year, we had to
have families stand and wait to get a seat; it was just that packed.”
The goal
of the event is for kids to have a healthy and hearty breakfast, have some fun,
and enjoy their visit with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.