Santa, cops, community gather to give holiday cheer to some South Jordan students
Dec 11, 2021, 12:16 PM | Updated: Dec 29, 2022, 11:53 am
This week, 500 kids in the South Jordan School District got a shopping spree courtesy of Walmart and the generous residents of South Jordan. Photos courtesy of Jordan Education Foundation
(South Jordan, UT) — Some well deserving middle and high school students from the Jordan School District got a Walmart Christmas shopping spree and a personal escort from Santa Claus. Santa and South Jordan police and fire personnel, some business leaders, educators and adult mentors showed up to the store’s location at 3590 W. South Jordan Pkwy bright and early on Saturday.
The day began at 7 a.m. with the arrival of Santa Claus, atop a fire truck in place of his sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. Each of the nearly 500 pre-selected students were provided with $115 for some much needed Christmas shopping.
Santa himself brightened the day for many students who might not otherwise have a very Merry Christmas
Community spirit helping make the season bright
Brian Synan, CEO of South Jordan Chamber of Commerce, tells KSL Newsradio the annual event, Christmas for Kids, is a way to provide a little bit of Christmas spirit for students in the district who would otherwise go without during the holiday season.
“We’ve got the community out in full force today,” says Synan. ” We are gonna help 483 students today, and we helped an additional 21 on Wednesday at a private event.”
The South Jordan Chamber of Commerce, the Jordan Education Foundation and Walmart South Jordan are hosts of the eighth annual event. The campaign’s goal is to raise about $50,000 for 500 middle school and high school students. To donate or volunteer, visit https://www.jefchristmasforkids.org/.
The annual event so far has helped nearly 3,000 kids who might not have otherwise had much to look forward to at Christmas. First responders and others joining in Saturday’s Walmart shopping spree
Saturday of giving
In addition to South Jordan, many others showed the holiday giving spirit on Saturday. The Roosevelt Police Department co-sponsored a shop with a cop event on Saturday at Stewart’s/Ace Hardware store that included donuts and hot cocoa while the kids did their holiday shopping.
Some Cedar City kids got a big show on Saturday morning before their shopping even began, with sirens and lights parading down Main Street.
