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Santa Makes House Calls in the SCV

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Contributed by: Pat Willett on 11/30/2006

Doctors may not make house calls any more, but Santa Claus does-thanks to the Rent-A-Santa program sponsored by Zonta Club of the Santa Clarita Valley.

Santa, with a full entourage of elves and Mrs. Claus, is available for community events, private or corporate parties, family holiday get-togethers and personal visits with local children, with proceeds helping to support Zonta's local and international projects.

Cost is $100 per hour or $150 for two hours, and early reservations are recommended, especially for the most popular few weekends before Christmas. A professional keyboard artist is available for caroling for an additional $50 donation.Zonta Club is also seeking volunteers to fill out its ranks of Santas for the holiday event. The club has a supply of costumes and handles all the booking arrangements.

"There's something about being Santa that brings out the personality in our volunteers," said Pat Allen, who along with husband Sheldon are among the most frequently booked Santa couple in the program. "Even people who are shy in person light up when they see the look in kids' eyes at the sight of Santa."

"We're still awaiting confirmations from a number of Santas who have served in previous years, but if the calls continue to come in as they have been doing, we are going to need all the Santa volunteers we can get," said Barbara Stearns-Cochran, Rent-A-Santa reservations chair. Adele Macpherson is co-chair of the program this year and Pat Warford is the caretaker of Santa's wardrobe.

Rent-A-Santa is Zonta's largest fund-raising program after the Celebrity Tribute and golf tournament. The club uses its money to support Zonta International's mission of advancing the status of women around the globe. Internationally, the club's focus is on health issues and elimination of abuse against women worldwide.

Locally, Zonta Club administers the Virginia Wrage Memorial grant program to help women who are facing a life-changing crisis. The club also hosts the annual Status of Women Celebration which honors outstanding women from organizations throughout the community, and selects a Young Women in Public Affairs winner to carry the community's standard in district and, hopefully, national and international competition.

Healthy Woman's Day offers free health screening to women who are uninsured or underinsured.Zonta has established the Healthy Kids Club for young girls from the Val Verde community, encouraging them to break the cycle of poverty, gangs, drugs and early pregnancy that robs many of their peers of their full potential. In addition to hosting educational and character-building programs for younger girls, the club offers a scholarship to Healthy Kids Club alumnae who go on to college.

The club also supports a number of local non-profits through donations of time, materials and grants. Local residents or organizations interested in reserving a visit from Santa, or prospective Santas interested in volunteering their time, can call Stearns-Cochran at (661) 251-1352 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

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