Stratford Santas
Hundreds of kids get toys, clothes through Sterling House program
Stratford EMS crews brought smiles to local families last weekend, delivering gifts collected as part of the Sterling House Toy Drive and Adopt A Family program. With Santa are EMS volunteers Brian Cepetelli, Angela Capinera, Nick Bodnar and Supervisor Scott Burton. — Contributed photo
Hundreds of kids throughout Stratford will wake up on Christmas morning with toys and other gifts thanks to the generosity of neighbors.
Volunteers spread joy and smiles on Saturday as part of the annual Sterling House Toy Drive and Adopt A Family program.
Volunteers with the Stratford Junior Women’s Club traveled to homes on Saturday accompanied by a Stratford EMS ambulance loaded with toys and gifts. Even Santa came along for the ride.
Sterling House has hosted the gift-giving program for more than 20 years, said Executive Director Lou Perno. The goal is to make sure they get toys and clothing to kids and families in need. Generous residents and businesses contributed to the program by adopting families for the holiday, making monetary donations and collecting suggestions from Giving Trees in local churches, Perno said.
Fifty of the families are being assisted by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 488, which contributed $4,000 to put smiles on the faces of Stratford kids.
Among the items given during the drop were games, educational toys, dolls, books, and
Diane Sheridan, Sterling House director of Community Development, and Sue Kostopoulos of the Stratford Junior Women’s Club, join with Carl Stevens, Peter Carroll, Nick Paundlay, and Tom Sportini of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union as they deliver Christmas gifts to Stratford homes. — Contributed photo
clothing for the winter when it eventually gets chillier. The popular choices were Barbie dolls, Star Wars toys, and Lego building sets, Perno said.
“There was a big request for art supplies, markers, things of that nature,” Perno said. “It really runs the gamut of things we get donated.”
Sue Kostopoulos of the Stratford Junior Women’s Club, which coordinates the program, said it was nice seeing happy children and their parents as the gifts were dropped off at homes. The packages were wrapped so the children won’t find out until Christmas Day. Other families picked up gifts at Sterling House before the holiday.
“It went fabulous,” said Kostopoulos. The parents “were very pleasantly surprised to see Santa along with us. They were very appreciative and very thankful for everything they received.”
Perno said the families who receive the gifts often come back to tell Sterling House about how great the holiday went. Some also send notes after Christmas to offer their thanks.
“Some of them are overwhelmed,” said Perno of previous gift deliveries. “One grandmother passed out because of the excitement. There’s a very warm reception from the families who receive gifts.”
Kevin Giasullo, administrator for Stratford EMS, said the crew was happy to be part of the effort.
“Stratford EMS is honored to participate in such a wonderful cause and being able to partner with such dedicated organizations like Toys for Tots and Sterling House Community Center, a partnership which dates back to the late 1980s,” he said. “All of our staff — with help from Santa — enjoyed being able to spread the holiday cheer with our residents in need.”
Perno said the program is successful because the people of Stratford like to help others.
“The town of Stratford is a pretty special town. In times of need, in times of crisis, people come together and help,” he said. “When they hear of situations of families not able to make it, they’re very empathetic.”
