Just because Mommy or Daddy is on Santa’s naughty list doesn’t mean the children should be, too. Santa Claus, with the help of Bexar County patrol officers and Explorers, shared the joy and excitement of Christmas with the children of incarcerated inmates.
Every child should receive a gift from Santa. After days of collecting and wrapping packages, volunteers with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department, the Explorers and Chrysalis Ministries delivered a joyful Christmas celebration to thousands of children in Bexar County. Deliveries were made to local hospitals and out in the community where holiday cheer was needed.
Photo: Facebook/Bexar County Sheriff
According to KSAT, Nino Tarantino, CEO of Chrysalis Ministries, said, “It’s like this is their Christmas and this [is] where they’re going to get that Christmas experience.” Many of these children have one or both of their parents locked up in a detention center.
“The children didn’t do anything wrong and every child deserves a gift at Christmas,” Sheriff Susan Pamerleau said.
The Sheriff’s Office and Chrysalis Ministries, which serves current and former inmates and their families, joined forces to put smiles on the faces of these children.
Photo: Facebook/Bexar County Sheriff
“They’re going to see Santa Claus. They’re going to see the Grinch. They’re going to see dancers. They’re going to hear some great music, and they’re all going to walk away with a couple of gifts per child,” Tarantino said.
While the event helps families have a better Christmas, its real purpose is to help these families realize law enforcement isn’t “out to get them.” Police officers are humans, too, just like their other family members. They are just humans who made different choices and took a different path through life. Hopefully, by having these children interact in a positive way with law enforcement, the families will develop a more positive attitude toward law enforcement.
Photo: Facebook/Bexar County Sheriff
“Often what they see is a family member who’s gotten in trouble with the law,” Pamerleau said. “We try to make these families feel as important and as healthy as they can be. And I think events like this really brings the organizations together, as well as makes the families feel terrific about where they’re heading,” Tarantino said.
Merry Christmas, Y’all!
