Winter Wonderland Will Greet St. Vincent’s Children
Surprise Visit From Santa Also Planned

   SAN DIEGO — Children living at St. Vincent de Paul Village will wake up to a winter wonderland on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at 7 a.m. when Jinny Jo Park, just east of the downtown homeless rehabilitation center at the corner of Commercial Street and 17th Street, will be covered by five tons of snow, pumped into the park by a truck outfitted with its own snow-making machinery. Sprint PCS, the sponsor of the event, will begin filling the park with snow at 6 a.m.

   Village children – many who have never seen snow – will build a snowman, enjoy tossing snowballs, keep warm with hot chocolate and chat with Santa on cell phones provided by Sprint. St. Nick will then stop by for a surprise visit at 7:15 a.m. to interact with the youngsters and make note of their holiday wishes.

   President of St. Vincent’s, Fr. Joe Carroll, says the event will have a positive impact on children living at the Village.

   "Around the holidays, most kids are putting things like bicycles, games and dolls on their Christmas wish list," Fr. Joe says. "Children living with us are hoping their family will have a home, or maybe a pantry that has food in it – the simple things that many of us take for granted.

   "This event presents an opportunity for our kids to put all of their worries aside for a couple of hours and focus on being kids and having fun."

   For more information on the Dec. 5 event, call (619) 525-1608.

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