Jacksonville, Fla. – Santa Claus will visit Catholic Charities’ Camp I Am Special on Saturday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m., to surprise special needs campers with gifts for Christmas. The camp is held each year at Christmas in addition to their traditional summer camps at Camp St. John, located on the property of Marywood Retreat Center at 455 Marywood Drive, St. Johns 32259.

Camp I am Special provides life-enriching experiences for children and adults with disabilities who are 5 years of age and older. This weekend there will be 34 campers and 34 buddies tending to their every need, as well as 15 camp leaders, two nurses, two weekend directors and kitchen volunteers. And all of them want their photo taken with Santa!

Santa’s gifts for the campers include sports equipment such as mats, bowling pins, an adaptive ball ramp, basketball hoop and other adaptive equipment used for camp. The equipment was purchased with the proceeds from a pancake breakfast fundraiser held earlier this year with the assistance of Santa’s Special Kids. 

Playing Santa is Dan Gallagher, president of Santa’s Special Kids, a non-profit charity based in Jacksonville. According to their website (www.santasspecialkids.com) their mission is “to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children with special needs and to achieve immediate and lasting happiness for them and their families.”

This is a great opportunity for photo opportunities and interviews with Santa Claus for Christmas!

For more information, contact Rebecca Aleman, director of the Disabilities Ministry for the Diocese of St. Augustine and Camp I Am Special. Her phone number is (904) 230-7447 or email raleman@ccbjax.org.