Santa Set For Special Visit To RUHS Medical Center

From Riverside County: Who needs reindeer when Santa can use a hook and ladder fire truck to deliver holiday cheer to the youngest patients at RUHS Medical Center?

CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department will make its dramatic delivery of Santa Claus to the medical center at 10 a.m. on Saturday (Dec. 23). The jolly elf—a firefighter—will delight children and adults alike by scaling an engine ladder to the medical center’s third floor pediatric unit to deliver gifts from the Spark of Love Toy Drive.

“We are often at the medical center following an accident or a tragedy,” CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department’s City of Moreno Valley Division Chief Abdul Ahmad said. “It’s really gratifying to come in the spirit of the holidays—to know we are brightening the day for children, employees and guests.”

Ahmad said the Spark of Love Toy Drive would not be a success without support from the community, firefighters and volunteers who donate their time and/or toys to make this annual event flourish. Toy donations are received then distributed to children throughout the community for Christmas. Toys are also given to ill or injured children who may have to spend their holidays in the hospital instead of at home with their families.

Monica Yerena, who helps coordinate Santa’s visit as part of her role as a child life specialist at the Medical Center, said there is always a lot of excitement in the pediatric unit when Santa makes his holiday visit. “Our kids just can’t stop smiling,” Yerena said.

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