Firefighters Help Santa This Christmas

Santa Claus traded in his sleigh and reindeer this Christmas for a fire truck to make a special delivery to three Huntley families.

Huntley firefighters were Santa's helpers as he passed out gifts to the families.

Huntley Firefighter Local 4106 approached area churches to find three families to adopt this season to help out with Christmas dinner, said Scott Verdonck, a firefighter who organized the effort.

The firefighters let Santa know what each child, between the ages of nine months to 17 years, wanted and helped him get things ready, Verdonck said.

Local 4106 holds an annual golf outing and uses the proceeds for good deeds around the community, he said. The union also had a booth at the Parkside Pub's Turkey Testicle Festival at Thanksgiving where members sold 50/50 raffle tickets.

This year, the union raised enough to give Grafton Township Food Pantry a $6,000 check as well as adopt the three families. Parkside Pub provided part of the Christmas dinner.

"We wanted to continue to give back to our community and take it a step forward and help families," Verdonck said. "We know the economy is hitting everyone hard, including us."

The families have been through a lot this year, he said.

One family has a parent who was laid off. Another has a parent who can't work anymore due to a severe medical condition. Another family lost their home.

So, the firefighters went to work using their connections and got Santa to make a stop in Huntley. Verdonck said the union hopes to start a new tradition and adopt more families next year.

-Gloria Casas