Public Employee Press

EMS crews save Christmas for needy kids.

By ALFREDO ALVARADO

Union medics brought holiday joy to 105 needy toddlers at the Medgar Evers Head Start program in Brooklyn Dec. 21, distributing over 400 gifts collected by employees at more than a dozen fire stations.

Santa Claus, who also moonlights as the president of Uniformed EMS Officers Local 3621, handed out the toys to the children at the East New York center with a dozen of his union helpers from Uniformed EMTs and Paramedics Local 2507 and Local 3621.

"The union did a really great job," said Claire Wilson, deputy director of the program, as children waited eagerly on the edge of their seats with their parents to receive their gifts from Santa.

Lt. Mary Dandridge of Local 3621 has been leading the annual holiday toy drive for children in poorer communities every Christmas since 2003. Dandridge coordinates the donations and Local 3621 president Vincent Variale plays Santa Claus.

"It's great to see the smiles on the faces of the kids," said Variale, who recalled going to a larger school a couple of years ago and distributing gifts for 600 children. "We must have been there all day for that one," he recalled.

Launching the 2010 drive, Dandridge put out the call to the membership at the fire stations just a couple of weeks before Christmas. "Our members really care about the kids, we always get a lot of nice gifts and donations," she said. Some department stores also donate and some give discounts.

While Santa Claus had his hands full passing out gifts and posing for pictures with parents and children, Local 2507 President Patrick Bahnken
was busy wrapping gifts for the next group of children. "This effort is all thanks to our rank-and-file members," said Bahnken, as he rolled up his sleeves and got ready to tackle another stack of presents. EMT Mailyn Nieves, Lt. Nyasha Johnson and Lt. Renee Mascol, helped coordinate the
effort.

The Medgar Evers Head Start program provides pre-kindergarten educational services for children from 3 to 5 years old from low-income households. The program also offers a variety of social services to parents and provides them with counseling and referral services around immigration, health and educational issues.

Maria Romero's daughter Vanessa was one of the lucky kids to meet with Santa. "She got three gifts; that's a really nice Santa," she said.