Students for International Mission Service (SIMS)

Outlook, Spring 2000

SIMS holds Adopt-a-Kid Christmas Party
Reported by Nancy Yuen, Office of University relations

On Friday, December 3, students, faculty, and staff from Loma Linda University joined Students for International Mission Service (SIMS) in hosting the annual Adopt-a-Kid Christmas party. The event, attended by nearly 200 people, was held on the grounds of Loma Linda University's SACÜNorton clinic.

According to Juan Carlos Belliard, MPH, SIMS program director, approximately 70 children from Head Start (a federally funded program for underprivileged preschool children), and 10 children from SIMS Community Kids Connection program attended the party with LLU students who "adoptedî them for the afternoon.

The children and their new LLU friends celebrated the season singing Christmas songs, playing games, and listening to Christmas stories. Then they and their "adoptiveî parents enjoyed a dinner of haystacks and carrot cake.

In preparation for the event, the SIMS office held a toy drive throughout November, advertising in the TODAY newspaper and on campus, but had only received four gifts the week before the event.

"Then,î says Mr. Belliard, "in the last couple of days, dozens of toys from students, staff, and faculty poured in.î

Not only were there enough toys for each child, but there were approximately 20 extra toys.

"This is a wonderful surprise,î says Mr. Belliard. "We will give gifts to children from the community who attend our Community Kids Connection outreach program in San Bernardino. We may even take some of the toys to Mexico as we provide health care there.î

Santa (played by Stafford Ormsby, SIMS project coordinator), was scheduled to arrive from the sky, courtesy of Mercy Air, and was suited up and aboard the helicopter on schedule for a 3:00 p.m. appearance.

However, a Mercy Air dispatcher contacted the pilot when they were just minutes from SACÜNorton, informing him that the helicopter was needed at the sight of a traffic accident.

The Mercy Air pilot landed, dropping Mr. Ormsby off at their office in Rancho Cucamonga, and still in his Santa suit, he jumped in his car and headed for the party at SACÜNorton.

"At every traffic light, I got smiles and waves from other drivers,î he remembers.

Santa arrived at the party as the children were lined up to board the bus„just in time to make a quick appearance and to hand out a sack full of holiday treats.

A reporter and photographer from San Bernardino County Sun newspaper attended the SIMS event, and a full-page article about the Adopt-a-Kid Christmas party appeared on the front page of the paper the next morning.

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