The parking lot at Northridge hospital was transformed into a little winter wonderland meets holiday paradise. Now in its 17th year, thousands of kids from the San Fernando Valley have had a “jamming celebration.”
It was a well oiled machine and day of fun run by more than 100 volunteers from Northridge Hospital and the community. They made sure the day was magical for the 300 underserved kids hosted this year.
Kids were shouting in excitement “Santa! Santa! Santa” as he arrived by fire truck.
The volunteers made sure that the kids were well fed, enjoyed the carnival games, spent some time making arts and crafts and had a visit and photo with St. Nick. It was a memorable day for everyone. The kids and volunteers had big smiles.
“For many of these kids, we know that this is the only Christmas celebration they will have,” said a hospital spokesperson, “So we make sure it is special for them and when the day is over, they each have a bag full of gifts to take home.”
The kids that are invited to participate are between 7-12 years old from local San Fernando Valley area elementary schools and are part of the “Title1/No Child Left Behind” program that provides financial assistance to local agencies for the education of children of low-income families. It’s hosted by the Northrige Hospital Foundaton and Dignity Health Northridge Hospital in partnership with the Harold & Carole Pump Foundation.