Students are stepping up and out in the community to make the season even brighter for locals in need.

“I applied for the position because I’ve always had a passion for helping the less fortunate,” says Anya Kroytor about her position as the Hunger & Homelessness Volunteer Coordinator for Volunteer UCF. Now a junior at the University of Central Florida, she began her volunteering efforts in high school and continued to give back once she entered college.

While the Hunger & Homelessness group does not hold any events in December due to exams and the holiday break, they held their largest event, the 16^th Annual Hunger Banquet, in November. Kroytor hopes the banquet raised further awareness for the homeless by inviting inspirational speakers who were or currently are homeless. Students were also encouraged to sign up to cook for and to feed the homeless along with nonprofit organizations during Thanksgiving.

The holiday season presents an even greater need for helping the homeless. “I feel like a lot of people focus on their family, and that’s when [the homeless] get left out,” says Kroytor.

Another student making her parents proud is Melissa Marquez, a junior at Timber Creek High School and committee chair of the BETA Club’s Operation: Santa Surprise. But this is one surprise you won’t want to keep to yourself. The operation, a committee branch from the BETA Club, is taking donations for underprivileged children. The BETA Club, a nonprofit service organization, enables members to learn leadership through service.

“Operation: Santa Surprise is all about the Christmas spirit of giving,” says Marquez. “I got involved with this committee because I admire that giving spirit and agree that these kids deserve to have presents this year. It’s not fair for them to suffer in a time of happiness.”

Marquez, who has been a member of the BETA Club for the past two years, says donated items include new and unwrapped toys, clothes and books for infants to teenagers. While the majority of gift requests come for children three to 12-years-old, the club also needs gifts for preteens and teens. And for teens, who may be more challenging to shop for, donating gift cards is also a good option.

Kroytor also plans to help others when she goes home to South Florida to celebrate the holidays. “I’m going to help out with this big Christmas event in Miami called Stop Hunger,” she says. She feels that everyone at universities is so focused on future and academics that they often forget about the people around them. Expanding horizons can give students the opportunity to make a difference.

For Timber Creek’s surprise operation, their BETA Club is sponsoring groups from Bithlo Head Start and Bithlo-Christmas Neighborhood Center for Families this year. “If you’re a parent, these kids go to school with your children. If you’re a child, your best friend could be one of the people getting gifts from us,” says Marquez. “They won’t know who donated the gifts, but I can guarantee you it’s worth seeing their smiles and tears of happiness when they realize there’s still kindness and hope in rough times.”

Donations can be dropped off at the school’s front office or library until December 10. “And as a club, we’re reaching out to the community and asking them to help us help them,” says Marquez. “Everybody deserves a good Christmas, and these kids are no exception.”

Article by Aimee Hoyt

Waterford Lakes Town Center is becoming more than just East Orlando’s largest outdoor shopping destination this winter. This year, the center will become a holiday-themed Winter Wonderland Village from December 4 through January 3, 2010 featuring activities, rides, an ice skating rink and more for kids of all ages.

“We’re constantly trying to bring the community together and we knew that a Winter Wonderland would be the perfect addition for the holiday season,” says Andrea Bjornlie, assistant director of marketing for Waterford Lakes Town Center. “We wanted to create an environment where the whole family can come out and enjoy the holiday cheer.”

And there is plenty of cheer to go around for the month-long celebration, including a unique Santa’s Workshop display featuring Santa and his elves daily through December 23. Children can pick up a two-part letter to Santa at any store in Waterford Lakes Town Center or at the Home Depot across from the center. After writing their letter, kids can bring in both parts to Santa’s Workshop for a special treat. “Santa’s elves will stamp it with a special ‘Santa’s Workshop Official Receipt’ and return the stamped receipt copy to the child while depositing the other copy in Santa’s mail bag,” says Bjornlie. Photo opportunities with Santa will also be available daily in his workshop.

Other activities include a steel drum musician playing seasonal music, professional carolers, face painting and 16 holiday-themed midway rides from around the world. “We’ll have plenty of one-of-a-kind rides including a Dutch giant gondola wheel that’s 126′ feet high and an Italian double decker carousel to name a few,” says Bjornlie. For those who want to stay on the ground at the Winter Wonderland event there will be thousands of holiday lights and displays courtesy of Home Depot and an outdoor ice rink complete with available skate rentals.

The site will also serve as an official collection location for the popular Toys for Tots Program. “For anyone who brings an unwrapped toy to Santa’s Workshop, they will receive a courtesy ride coupon book containing two ride-any-midway-ride tickets,” says Bjornlie.

Town Center guests have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Winter Wonderland and Santa since the announcement was made. Bjornlie says: “Community reaction has been entirely positive and our guests have expressed tons of excitement with the new addition to the shopping center.”

SANTA’S WINTER WONDERLAND VILLAGE AT WATERFORD LAKES

December 4, 2009 through January 3, 2010

Hours of Operation:

• Weekdays through December 18:  5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• Weekdays December 21 through January 1:  12 noon to 11 p.m. (Closed December 24 and 25)
• Saturdays and Sundays:  12 noon to 11 p.m.

For more, visit Waterford Lakes Town Center or Santa’s Winter Wonderland Village.

Article by Corey Gehrold

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

Close your eyes and think of your earliest Christmas memories. The lights on the tree. The cookies and milk on the table before bed. Odds are, when you were younger you started to be a little “extra good” around December to earn a few bonus points with the man at the North Pole. After all, he knows when you’ve been good or bad, right?

For millions of children across the world, the holiday season is a magical time of year and Santa Claus is an essential piece of that puzzle. At some point though, we all find out the truth. But, when is too early?

“It almost seems as if Santa Claus is sketched in our brain as a precursor for all future holiday memories through adulthood,” says Dorcas Velez, a licensed mental health counselor located in Avalon Park. According to Velez, sometimes awakening your children to the reality about Santa is not a simple process because of how much has been invested into the fantasy. She says: “A good age to learn about the reality of Santa is typically around 7-10 years of age. These are termed the industrialist years, when children are ready to create their own fantasies and be very creative as well.”

Many parents utilize Santa to elicit compliance and modify behaviors - and it works. When kids find out the truth, parents should be prepared to lose some of that power around the holidays. “Considering these tough economic times, many parents may feel tempted to prematurely disclose Santa; but it’s best to consult the emotion of the child and what circumstances are taking place in the home first,” Velez says.

Many families are facing separation and conflict of various types and, as such, they tend to leave the child out of the decision making process, which can be harmful. Velez suggests including input from the child wherever possible, including the decision to reveal  the truth about Saint Nick. The more difficult and complicated the life of a child is, the harder it gets to stop depending on Santa.

Finding out too early could be devastating for their memories of family and Christmas. “Kids need to build up their ego strength, and they might still need the fantasy of Santa for the world to make sense for them,” says Velez.  As the secret behind Santa becomes harder to protect, it’s important to remember what the image represents to the child as well. “In essence, the innocence and importance of fantasy and play are necessary for healthy emotional development,” she says.

If there are older siblings involved, it’s best to consult with them as well and make sure they understand the importance of Santa for their younger brother or sister. Remind them of when they were younger, how much they enjoyed the fantasy and what it means to them.

Velez has seen some cases where a child suddenly stops believing in Santa before they’re ready to please the parents. Her advice is to check in with the child and find out why they believed in the first place. Let them know it’s OK to believe. “Use this opportunity to help the child transition the lessons learned from Santa, like being generous, and apply it toward volunteering or helping out less fortunate children,” she says.

“Good memories pull families together and keep them together longer, but it takes dedication and hard work to make those memories,” says Velez. But the importance of those good memories cannot be understated. “It’s a great thing to keep all of your ‘good Santa memories’ intact, even if everything else back home becomes complicated.”

Article by Corey Gehrold

Shepherd’s House, a program of Catholic Charities of Central Florida, Inc., provides shelter, support and resources to at-risk, economically disadvantaged homeless single mothers with children (age eight years old or younger) in need of stability as a starting point for becoming self-sufficient.  The Shepherd’s House program provides opportunity for the women to gain essential skills in budgeting, parenting, and interpersonal communication that will enable them to make wise and effective choices in order to establish a solid foundation on which to build their future.

The Shepherd’s House program has eight duplex apartments in East Orlando/Orange County, Florida that will accommodate up to 16 mothers with children age eight or younger for 6 months.

The original program was established 13 years ago in 1996 by the Sisters of Good Shepherd. When the program closed in 2008, Catholic Charities of Central Florida, Inc. obtained the properties with the intent to continue the program’s mission.

Although several of the apartments already have screened and qualified women living in them, the official blessing by Bishop Thomas Wenski and grand opening of the Shepherd’s House Program will take place, November 12, 2009 at 10:30 - 11:00 AM on Charleston Street, Orlando, FL 32807.

Donations of finances, skilled labor for repair work and like-new household items (towels, sheets, Graco Pack ‘N Play), clothing for women, young children and infants (including disposable diapers and formula),  are needed for the Shepherd’s House Program.

To donate, please call 407.658.1818.