Dearborn therapy center makes sure Santa has kids’ favorite gifts
Joshua Estrada spends a lot of time in Dearborn, coming two to three days a week for speech, physical and occupational therapy.
On Wednesday, he and 14 other kids at Corewell Health’s Beaumont Children’s Center for Exceptional Families got a chance to spend the day doing something a little more fun: hang out with Santa.
“They have always done an incredible job of not only supporting him but supporting families,” Joshua’s mother, Kelly Estrada, 38, of Canton, said of the center.
Youth patients and their families marked the holiday season with Santa, toys and gifts in Dearborn, gathering in the cold with community members outside Corewell Health’s Beaumont Children’s Center for Exceptional Families Wednesday morning for the annual Christmas event.
“The Center for Exceptional Families from the very beginning, has in our mission statement that we join families on the journey of parenting a child with special needs and for us that goes well beyond medical and rehabilitation care,” medical director Susan Youngs said. “It really is about us wrapping our arms around our families and, as I like to say, being loved with skin on.”
The center has been around for 25 years and serves as a medical and rehabilitative facility, providing various pediatric health services to children with different abilities.
Santa Claus and Dearborn firefighters distributed gifts to 15 of the center’s pediatric patients. The fire department also dropped off
hundreds of toys for the children, part of its holiday toy giveaway to the center.
Kelly Estrada brought her son Joshua to the event, where he got a wrestling monster truck toy from Santa.
“It’s a great experience. We come to the center for primary care, speech, physical therapy and occupational therapy and we’re here probably two, three days a week and it’s really nice to be able to come here for something extra special,” she said.
The Santa visit represents the center’s focus on supporting its community of patients and providing occasions for joyful celebration.
“He loves to be around people and he loves things like this, he loves to be included,” Estrada said. “They really do make him feel very
special here.”
The center coordinated with the families of the 15 children to ensure Santa had their favorite gifts ready.
The toys the firefighters brought to the center will serve over 500 children, Youngs said.
The Dearborn Fire Department purchased the toys with funds from its annual Burn Drive fundraiser. The center has hosted this annual event in collaboration with Santa and the fire department since 2009.
Hosting holiday events provides a safe space for the center’s patients to celebrate the holiday season. The center will also host a holiday collection to support around 140 families next week, gathering and distributing toys, clothing, food, toiletries and more.