The weather outside may not be frightful in East Orlando, but the holiday season is here and it’s time for an annual visit from the big man in red, Santa Claus. This year Saint Nick will be flying in from the North Pole for breakfast and pictures thanks to the Avalon Park Kiwanis Club’s annual Breakfast with Santa event on Saturday, December 5 from 8:30 - 11:30 a.m.

One of the largest fundraisers of the year for the Avalon Park Kiwanis Club, Breakfast with Santa thrilled area kids last year, the first it was held in Avalon. “My wife and I actually started the event for the East Orange Kiwanis Club about 12 years ago at the Waterford Lakes Town Center,” says Dave Schmitt, president of the Avalon Park Kiwanis Club. “The East Orange Club still continues that tradition today, but we wanted to bring something locally for our Avalon members and residents.”

Proceeds from the day will go directly to the Kiwanis Club of Avalon Park to support all of the Service Leadership Clubs and programs they sponsor in the local schools they support. Their programs involve volunteering and community service at every age and range from Key Club in high school to Builders Club in middle school to Kiwanis Kids in elementary school. The group also sponsors unique awards such as their Terrific Kids Program, Student of the Month and Student of the Year, among others.

The breakfast event is filled with fun activities for kids of all ages including school performances, face painting and more. “It’s a lot of fun to watch the kids, for a lot of them this is their first time meeting Santa,” says Schmitt. Other Kiwanis members agree. “It’s a great way to put a big smile on a kids face early in the month of December,” says Avalon Park Kiwanis communication committee member April Carpenter. “As an Avalon resident myself I’m I was happy to get involved with the group and help out however I could,” she says.

The Breakfast with Santa festivities kick off the morning before the 9^th Annual Avalon Aglow celebration. The family styled event will feature a parade presided over by Santa himself along with story time, a snow covered hill, amusement rides, live music and Orlando’s premier winter fireworks display in Downtown Avalon Park.

“It’s a big day for us and it’s always a lot of fun for all the kids and school groups that come out,” says Schmitt.

To learn more about the Avalon Park Breakfast with Santa, visit www.AvalonKiwanis.org. To learn more about the East Orange breakfast, click here to visit their Facebook page.

Article by Corey Gehrold