12/13/07
Vietnam veterans bring Santa for Children’s Home kids
By Eric Goold

ERIC GOOLD/Manning Times

Santa greeted children and treated them to a Holiday dinner and some nice presents last Thursday night at the American Legion Post 68 during the Vietnam Veterans annual Christmas party.

Children from the Free Will Baptist Home for Children in Turbeville went for a visit at the American Legion Post 68 building in Manning this past Thursday night, and a special guest showed up: Santa Claus.

The children were treated to a fine Holiday dinner and then got their pictures taken with Santa when he arrived bearing gifts for everybody.

It was all part of the festivities arranged by the Vietnam Veterans of America, who put on their yearly Christmas party.

“We’ve done this before, in terms of having the Christmas party,” said Paul Taylor, President of the Manning Chapter 960 of the VVA. “But this is the first year we’ve had the children out here to meet Santa.”

The children welcomed a chance to come to Manning for a night of good Holiday cheer.

“We heard about it a month ago, and of course we were very excited right from the start,” said Roy Roach, or Brother Roy as he is affectionately known, Director of the children’s home in Turbeville. “The Veterans were very gracious to ask the kids to come here and eat and get to meet Santa.”

Local members of the VVA and their spouses volunteered their time and energy to make the fantastic night a memorable one for the children.

A fine dinner of ham, turkey, potato salad, Christmas punch and several different cakes were available. Or for the kids, chicken nuggets and French fries hit the spot for a nice Holiday meal.

Moving about the tables was an army of servants in red shirts. These gracious waiters and waitresses were members of the Youth Group at the Home Branch Baptist Church, the so-called STAFF (Serving Together As Faithful Followers) that put in a lot of hard work during the night so everyone could enjoy their dinner.

The VVA is a community-oriented group that, among other activities, raises money for scholarships, helps children and families in need and participates in local events.

“That’s what we’re here to do, help the community and try to serve,” said Taylor. “Of course that depends on funds, the more we have the more we can help. But we try to give back to the community as much as we can.”

It wasn’t hard finding one of the veterans to act as Santa.

“We turned one of these old vets into Santa. That’s the magic,” joked Taylor. “I’m sure he won’t scare them too bad.”

None of the children seemed scared at all, judging from the laughter and happy screams of, “Santa!”

“These kind of events really show that the community is behind us,” said Brother Roy. “It’s fun for the kids to get to see Santa. And the kids get to learn about the veterans and what they represent and who they are.”

Santa greeted each child by name and one by one, posed with them for pictures and presented them with gifts.

“It’s a nice thing these veterans did for us,” said Brother Roy. “They didn’t have to do it but they did. It’s a nice way to spread some Christmas cheer.”

It was a great night for all and the Holiday Spirit was definitely at the Post.

“It’s a great turnout,” said Taylor. “We’re glad to see it. We just hope they have a good time.”