Annual Edmarc Santa Run Returns Dec. 12

PORTSMOUTH, VA, UNITED STATES, December 6, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Logan and his big brother Evan were confused. There was no fire, so why was a fire truck coming down their street, with lights and sirens?

Then the truck stopped at the boys’ home, and they saw Santa and Mrs. Claus come to their door bearing gifts during the annual Santa Run by Edmarc. The nonprofit provides home care for children with life-threatening illnesses.

“It was a total surprise for the kids, and it was the happiest I had seen my kids in a while,” recalled their mother, Bobbi Argabright, of Yorktown.

Logan was four years old when he was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a cancer of the bone and surrounding tissue. Now nine, he has been off treatment for almost four years and is doing well. Over the last 30 years, the Edmarc Santa Run has brightened the holidays for hundreds of families like Logan’s.

The run didn’t take place last year because of the pandemic. Instead, Santa and Mrs. Claus posed for photos at Edmarc’s Portsmouth headquarters and masked Santas and staff delivered gifts over several days.

This year, Santa — actually multiple Santas — will be back on the road with the Santa Run on Sunday, Dec. 12. They will team with police plus fire and rescue departments from all seven Hampton Roads cities to make special deliveries to nearly 60 Edmarc client families. Volunteers will meet around 10:30 a.m. at various locations, then drive off at noon to cover stops on 10 routes over the next few hours.

“The Santa Run allows families to shoulder one less burden and lets kids enjoy the magic of the holidays,” said Edmarc Executive Director Debbie Stitzer-Brame.

The event takes stress off the families, who don’t have to worry about another bill or how they’re going to find the time to buy gifts when they need to focus on caring for their sick child. They also don’t have to take their immunocompromised child in public to shop or see Santa.

Edmarc provides gifts for the whole family. “For bereaved parents, it can be difficult to find the strength to shop and wrap gifts, so all of that still gets done for their other children,” Stitzer-Brame said.

Planning for the run begins in September, when Edmarc sends sponsorship forms out to the community. Edmarc currently has 27 sponsors covering 68 families, with 56 of those families scheduled to receive gifts during the event. Families who opt out of the run for health reasons or because they observe different holiday traditions also will receive gifts.

Sponsors include families whose children overcame their illness, bereaved families, individual community members, philanthropic community organizations and organizations such as departments at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Air Force commands.

Volunteers wrap, tag and put the donated gifts into giant hand-sewn cloth bags. They work with Jane Foster, a detective with the Portsmouth Police Department, and Rick Hudak, a Suffolk firefighter, to coordinate delivery routes with police, fire and emergency services. During the event, Santas, and sometimes Mrs. Claus and elves, show up to homes on fire trucks or SWAT vehicles.

A volunteer put together a video of the last pre-pandemic Santa Run, in one minute painting a picture of it all coming together.

A number of professional photographers and videographers donate their time to capture the day. Karen Hibbard of Karen Hibbard Photography in Chesapeake took part a couple years ago and looks forward to riding alongside Santa again this year.

“There are few events during the holiday season that compare to Edmarc’s Santa Run,” Hibbard said. “So many amazing volunteers came together making this day one to remember. I’m thrilled to be helping again this year to capture the moment that Santa arrives spreading love and joy. It’s just as much a gift to me.”

During the 2017 Santa Run, Logan and his brother received gifts including gaming chairs, stuffed animals, LEGO sets and clothing. His mother was especially touched when Santa made sure to sit down on the floor in the same position as Logan, who had one leg stretched out because he had a cast after surgery. “It was fantastic,” Argabright said.

Grateful that Edmarc provided nurses and a social worker at no cost when Logan was in treatment and needed home health care, Argabright now volunteers at Edmarc.

Logan’s family won’t be receiving gifts during the Santa Run this year. But they sponsored the event so that other families going through what they did will have a happy holiday.

“I love Edmarc,” Argabright said. “There were a lot of organizations that we worked with during Logan’s treatment. Edmarc still invites us to their picnics. Even though he’s off treatment, they still keep in touch.”

About Edmarc:
Edmarc helps seriously ill children stay comfortably at home with their families whenever possible, giving comfort, strength and support to the entire family. The organization serves an average of 70 children per day.

Established in 1978, Edmarc was the first hospice in the nation designed specifically for children. Founded by members of Suffolk Presbyterian Church in Suffolk, Edmarc was named for Edward, their minister who died of cancer, and a young couple’s son, Marcus, who needed hospice care because he had a progressive neuromuscular disease.

Learn more at edmarc.org.

Sonja N. Barisic, APR
Sunflower Communications
+1 757-412-7071
sonja@sunflowercommunicationspr.com

Edmarc Santa Run

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