Sugar for Reindeer: Meet Santa and make a difference on Dec 8

The second annual "Sugar for Reindeer" event to promote awareness and offer support to children with Type 1 Diabetes and The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), will be held on Saturday, December 8 from 10am - 2pm at River City Restaurant in Wheeling.

According to event organizer Lorri Schodzinski, Santa is scheduled to fly in directly from the North Pole to meet with children and their families in a private and relaxed setting. "Santa will be listening to wish lists, offering words of encouragement and reminding children about the true spirit of Christmas," said Schodzinski. "I encourage parents to bring their cameras and capture their child's reaction to Santa in his "festive holiday office" without any distractions."

At the end of each individualized session, Santa will give each child a "magic dust" made of glitter, sugar and oats to leave out for the reindeer on Christmas Eve in anticipation of his pending arrival.

"We will also have an active craft area set up for the children and their families while they wait to see Santa," said Schodzinski. "There will be face painting, cookie decorating, tree ornament creations and a number of other activities as well."

The sponsors for this year's event are A&B Kia, Dan Stephens State Farm Insurance, Linda Smith State Farm Insurance, Main Street Bank, Ohio University Eastern, Our Lady of Peace School, Mike Schuetz State Farm Insurance, Neely's Grocery, Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration, Riesbeck's, River City, St. Michael's Parish School, St. Vincent School, Wheeling Central Catholic and Wheeling Hospital.

"I really want to thank the sponsors for their continued support of this event," said Schodzinski. "It feels great to know that leaders in our community are behind our efforts."

The cost for the event is $8 for one child and $4 for each additional child from the same family. A first come, first serve policy will be followed to meet Santa. Proceeds from the event will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Search for a Cure as well as local children with Type I Diabetes who are in need of medical supplies.

For more information, contact Schodzinski via email at schodzin@ohio.edu.