Kids on the Ridge party continues despite the pandemic
Paradise Veterans and Lions Club host fifth annual event
PARADISE » With COVID-19 taking control of the daily lives of everyone across the globe throughout 2020, the Paradise Veterans and Paradise Lions Club were not going to let another year of uncertainty take over their annual holiday event.
On Saturday at the Veterans Hall in Paradise children were welcomed for the fifth annual Christmas Party for Kids on the Ridge event, where Santa took photos with guests and children brought home donated gifts from sponsors around the town.
Toys were donated from a variety of sponsors including Walmart, Wells Fargo, Savemart and others for children ages 3 to 10 from Paradise Magalia, Stirling City, Inskip and Concow.
“It’s just a great event. People are so gracious,” said Lions Club member and American Legion Post 259 Commander Lawrence Thomas St. Germain. “You really have to thank the people up here on the hill especially. They’re really generous and they really work together.”
St. Germain started the event five years ago simply because he saw a need. He said he felt there
were kids who lived in Paradise who couldn’t afford gifts, so he reached out to fellow Lions club members such as Karen Crook.
While Crook was a Lions club member, she was also a lover of Christmas and grew up with Santa in her house — her father’s costume of 30 years.
“It was right up my ally and Lions serve. If we see a need we fill it,” Crook said. “It doesn’t matter what the need is, it doesn’t matter where the need is, we’re going to meet every need our community needs.”
Crook and her brother particpated Saturday volunteering their time for the children, and their dad’s costume was there as well. Crook’s brother dressed up in the Santa suit to take photos with the children.
Like other events in 2020, Saturday’s event was limited compared to the past years. Previously, crowds of 200 to 300 people would turn out for a near-all day event where games would be played, children would be fed, bike raffles were held and bounce houses were often available.
This year in the first two hours, the Veteran’s Hall had roughly 100 visitors. A face painter was available and Santa was available for socially distanced photos. Gifts were also given out differently. In previous years, all gifts were previously wrapped, however this year all presents were displayed by age group for children to pick what they’d like.
“Its all about the children,” Crook said. “You know, they don’t understand what’s going on this year. They didn’t understand why we couldn’t do Christmas right after the fire. We just have a passion for Christmas. That people feel the love and they get people caring for them.”