Santa landed in a helicopter instead of a sleigh, and he was carried by one big fire truck instead of eight tiny reindeer, but it didn't make a bit of difference to about 500 children Saturday morning in Bovoni.
The occasion was Victim Advocates 10th annual Christmas party, held this year for the first time in conjunction with the Virgin Island Housing Authority's Bovoni Weed and Seed program.
The Bovoni Community Center was bustling with little elves scuttling around preparing the center for Santa. This was also the first year the children did the decorating. Balloons were going up – way up, filled with helium – paper chains were going up, and candy and presents were everywhere, closely supervised by a few adults.
Zelda Williams, Weed and Seed director, and Victim Advocate director Lynn Falkenthal, looked on as the children took over. Santa's chair got a lot of attention and a lot of balloons. Then there were the toys – plastic foam giant bomber gliders, celestial glow-in-the-dark balls, baby bath puppets, sun glasses and, of course, beanie babies. Everybody was waiting for the magic moment when Santa would land in a lot by the road across from the Lima Superette.
Falkenthal said she first got the inspiration for the party one day about 11 years ago, when driving by the Bovoni Housing Project around Christmas she noticed no decorations and no lights. "I decided I'd see if I could do something," she said.
She enlisted the help of the U.S. Attorney's office and the V.I.H.A. police, and by the next year she had some up with something. "I wanted the police to be involved so the kids could see them in a different, nonthreatening way," Falkenthal said. She also made use of them for Santa roles. And with a little soliciting in the community, including 10 years of Santa getting a free ride from an Air Center helicopter – thanks to owner Ron Tinney – and with Victim Advocate funds, the annual party was started.
Williams was equally excited about the event. "We're going to have a DJ and music later," she said. This is Williams' and Weed and Seed's first year, and the program has drawn together the Bovoni community with an expansive summer school program and a number of continuing projects.
More children attend the party than the Bovoni residents alone. "They bring their cousins, their friends, and when the other neighborhood kids see the helicopter, they know what's happening," Falkenthal said.
The kids traditionally follow the fire truck as though it were the Pied Piper, and tramp up to the center where they get a sit with Santa, a bag of toys, and lots of music and dancing. And that's just what they did Saturday. Oh, and they left with a Christmas pizza.