The following newspaper article appeared in the December 6th, 2007 edition of the Whittier Daily News.

Santa gets some local help

Woodworkers of Whittier craft toys for children in need

WHITTIER - Who needs lead-laden toys from China?

For the last year, members of the Woodworkers of Whittier have been as busy as Santa's elves creating toys for tots.

On Wednesday, the many wooden blocks, cars, trucks, baby cradles and beds all were finished, packed and sent off to more than 25 organizations that will give them to children in need.

About 50 people working out of the Whittier Community Center packed toys into bags and sacks so they could be taken away later that afternoon for distribution.

There were about 12,000 blocks, more than 1,000 toy cars, trucks and other vehicles, 35 cradles and 20 baby strollers.

"Most of us feel like little kids who need toys at Christmastime," said John Rodgers, club president. "If we can do that we're happy."

And the organizations getting these toys are thrilled.

"We're going to give them to the people in the community who are in need," said Peggy Smith, recreation leader at Adventure County Park.

"We're thrilled to death," Smith said. "They're beautiful. They're really like craft work. The items they've made are absolutely exquisite."

"If we can make them and spread some good feeling, we feel good," he said.

But instead of giving the wooden toys away themselves, they've found it easier to give to a variety of organizations, such as Los Angeles Fire and Sheriff's departments, Whittier police, churches, and some local schools.

The group has about 50 members, all of whom are woodworkers.

The wood for the toys is donated by three companies: Pacific Architectural Millworks of La Habra, Renaissance Doors and Windows of Fullerton and Schroeder and Bogardus Die Co. of Anaheim.

Terry Schroeder, owner of Schroeder and Bogardus Die Co., who brought his wife and three sons to help with the packing Wednesday, said he is impressed by the craftsmen.

"It's amazing," Schroeder. "I can't imagine the amount of time it takes to produce such a beautiful product. They have to cut it, sand it and paint it."

The latter (painting) is done by women at the Whittier Senior Center.

Jane Agee, one of the 25 woman painters, said the time spent is enjoyable.

"It's kind of fun," she said. "We can talk while we paint."

By Tracy Garcia
Staff Writer

WEST WHITTIER - Lillian Guerrero just couldn't contain herself when she saw him - she squealed, giddy with excitement, jumping up and down like she was rocking out at a Hannah Montana concert.

But the 4-year-old preschooler had her eye on a much different superstar last week at Washington Preschool - the red-suited kind that comes around once a year, bearing gifts for all the children who manage to make the "nice" list.

"I got a candy cane," Lillian said, smiling, as she walked away with candy and an old-fashioned wood car from Santa Claus - also known as Mike Sullivan, 64, of Whittier.

This is the second time that jolly old St. Nick has visited the preschool, which serves about 60 special-needs students in the Whittier City School District.

It gives parents a nice opportunity to have their child interact with Santa Claus in a way they can't really do at a mall or other public gathering because of behavior issues, said teacher Val Broz, who coordinated the visit.

"I've tried for years to get my son to go up and visit with Santa, but this is the first time that he's been open and willing to do it," said parent Rose Somilleda, 33.

One by one, Santa gently hauled the youngsters up onto his lap, where he curled his arm around them and softly asked them their name, age, and Christmas wish, if they had one.

Some of the children seemed awestruck, with wide, goofy grins on their faces as they answered Santa's questions and were reluctantly led back to class.

But their innocence and vulnerability was enough to bring tears to Sullivan's eyes, which he quickly wiped away with white-gloved hands as another class filed into the room.

"It's super," said Sullivan, who has worked as Santa for a dozen years and volunteered his services at the preschool.

"Sometimes there is great joy, and sometimes there are tears. But it's always a really great experience."

Aside from adding to the spirit of the holiday, teacher Bonnie Matlick said it's particularly important for the youngsters to be exposed to these kinds of experiences.

"I think at this age, kids need to experience things for real, and not just read about them in a book," said Matlick, who heads a class of children with speech problems.

"It encourages them to talk about the experience, and that's what we're trying to do - encourage as much speech and learning as possible."