On Saturday, Dec. 8, Groton families were treated to a wonderful holiday event sponsored by the Groton Area Newcomers and Friends — Santa pictures at the Groton Public Library. This event had a great turnout with over 60 families attending. We raised approximately $500 for the annual Groton Senior Dinner! It was great seeing the excitement in the children’s eyes as they visited with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the comfort of our library!
Many thanks to Owen Shuman and the library board for allowing us to hold the Santa picture event at the GPL. It was the perfect location! In addition, our heartfelt appreciation to Karen Dunham and the children’s room staff for their patience, kindness and expertise in the planning of this event.
Santa and Mrs. Claus (David Banks and Jean Cummings, respectively) were fabulous in their roles! Our sincere gratitude to you both! They each volunteered their time for this wonderful community event. Their kindness and warmth toward the children was wonderful to watch. They truly had a way of comforting the children. We were so fortunate to have had them as part of this Groton tradition!
The children were treated to home-baked cookies generously donated by Rachel Connerty, Bonnie Nojeim and her Girl Scout Troop 436 and Mandy Culouris and her Cadet Troop 183, in addition to many of the GANF members. They were delicious and the children loved the sweet treats!
Personally, I would like to thank my friends and fellow GANF members for their help. It was so nice to have so many volunteers during this busy holiday season. Many thanks to Amy Gifford, Sarah Webb, Amy Lovell Kelly, Kristin Ansted, Melanie Ketelhohn and Erica Willis. It was great to see your cheerful faces Saturday morning! You kept the families happy, kept the lines moving and kept things running smoothly. I could not have done it without you! Kudos to our photographic team! Bridget Cook, our GANF president, did a great job photographing the children and Julie Marion, our VP, who printed all the pictures. You were both amazing with this task and with all your support and encouragement toward this project! Many thanks to Meaghan Watelet, a peer leader at the GDHS, who donated her Saturday morning to this event, too!
We are very grateful to Amy and Jason Gifford, who donated the use of their photo printer, and Ann and John Wortman, who time and time again have generously allowed us to use their printer for various GANF functions. Your kindness and friendship are so appreciated.
This truly was a wonderful family event. We were so pleased with the community’s response to the Santa photos. Thank you to all the families who attended. It was a great way to raise money for our Groton Seniors and their holiday dinner. Thank you! We look forward to continuing this event in 2008!
Happy Holidays!
CARRIE JISER
Fund-raising chairman
GANF
