PEORIA, Ill. – Santa! The kids at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois know him!
For the 25th year, Santa — who, in this case is really Bill Turney — has delivered toys to the kids in the hospital. And this year, it was big.
“I’m so proud to say that we collected over $30,000 worth of toys,” said Turney. “That’s the biggest year we’ve ever had. I wanted to hit [$25,000], but we surpassed that. These kids will have Christmas every day for the next year.”
Turney wanted $25,000 worth of toys to go with his 25th anniversary of making the special deliveries.
The visit by Santa is something Demetra Gaines, Special Visitor Coordinator for the Children’s Hospital, has put together along with the gifts the kids and their siblings receive, for the whole time.
“To see the kids smile, to see that Santa has not missed them, means so much to the families and the kids,” said Gaines. “The mom’s are stuck in [the children’s] rooms. They don’t have time to go shop for their kids.”
Turney — we mean Claus — normally goes room to room delivering the toys to the kids. But, due to COVID, he had to settle for a ride in a Peoria Fire Department ladder truck, waving at the patients from the outside, allowing hospital staff to deliver the presents.
Will Stevenson/1470 & 100.3 WMBD
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