When a handful of letters to Santa risked missing their journey to the North Pole, local helpers stepped in to make sure every child received a reply.
High school seniors from Homewood-Flossmoor High School and adult senior citizens joined together on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Wiley’s Grill in Flossmoor for the annual Santa Senior Helpers event, hosted by the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District in partnership with the villages of Homewood and Flossmoor.
The program pairs seniors by grade with seniors by age to respond to hundreds of letters written by children from Homewood, Flossmoor and surrounding communities.
“This is our annual Santa letter-writing event for the community,” said Zak Kerby, recreation supervisor for the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District. “We collect letters from our facilities and invite students and senior citizens to come together for an intergenerational experience of giving back.”
Letters are dropped into Santa mailboxes located at park district community centers and village locations. Children include return addresses so volunteers can handwrite personalized responses that are later mailed back to families.
Kerby said the program began in 2022 and expanded as the number of letters increased.
“We were getting so many letters that it became taxing for just a few people,” he said. “Partnering with the villages and bringing students and seniors together made it something special.”
Devin Frendreis, who helps coordinate senior programming, oversees recruitment of adult participants and begins outreach months in advance. She said many of the connections formed during the event continue long after the holidays.
Marla Youngblood, event manager for the Village of Homewood, assisted with event coordination and village support, helping ensure the program ran smoothly and remained accessible to families throughout the community.
Donna Anfield, a longtime Homewood resident, has participated in the event every year since it began.
“I enjoy the letters — they’re so cute,” Anfield said. “And I love meeting the students from HF. There’s a lot of respect between the generations.”
She recalled one letter from a 4-year-old asking for an iPhone and another from a young boy who wrote, “You ought to know what I want. I’ve been saying it for the last year.”
Stephanie Wright, community engagement manager for the Village of Flossmoor, said the event highlights the benefits of cross-generational service.
“You have seniors by age and seniors by grade working together as Santa’s elves,” Wright said. “That kind of connection is incredibly valuable for our community.”
Kathleen Treptown, attending for the second year, said she plans to make the event an annual tradition.
“I enjoyed it so much last year that I decided I would come back again,” she said.
As letters were signed, sealed and prepared for mailing, Santa thanked his helpers for stepping in when it mattered most.
“We’re excited to bring all the elves together to answer the letters,” Santa said. “Santa hears every wish, and I promise we’re working very hard to deliver a Merry Christmas.”
