Over the Dec. 17 & 18 weekend, The Jolly Old Guy in the furry red suit made a pre-sleigh ride stop at Doral Drive in Manning. This wasn’t to stock up on reindeer food, but was a special visit to the Kelleher Family home, at #1513.
The reason? Well, it seems Santa received a letter from the dogs and cats at A Second Chance Animal Shelter with a very special wish. They told him it sure would be nice to get a big supply of food, maybe a few special toys & treats, plus some warm blankets for these cold nights. And even a few bucks for their vet bills. But hardly anyone thinks of abandoned dogs and cats at Christmas. Could he arrange to do something about that?
So Santa thought a bit, then emailed (Santa’s a Modern Guy!) Phoebe, Kath and Ken and asked if he could use their home for a few days. And maybe they could send out invitations to the neighborhood, saying he’d be stopping by and he hoped LOTS of them would come by for a visit. But instead of bringing gifts for them, would they ask everyone to bring him something special for the animals at the shelter? And then he would stop by ASCAS on Christmas Eve, and make a personal delivery on their behalf.
The Kelleher’s said “Great!”, and set about creating a special Holiday Grotto (the Kelleher’s are English, don’t-cha know!), with lights, and trees and all sorts of
decorations to welcome the Old Guy and everyone who might stop by. It was quite festive!
Well, this turned out to be a VERY GOOD IDEA that Santa had, because almost everyone in the area stopped by. Some even brought their own pets to see him! And they came with lots of special things for the shelter’s furry residents!
By the end of the weekend, Santa’s lap was very tired, from all the kids, dogs and cats who sat there (more than a few adults too!). But it was worth it! He had a sleigh-full to bring to the shelter, for sure.
(While the above story may not be entirely true, the following comments from the Kelleher’s say it all:
“We are blown away by the generosity of our community. Over the two days, we had over a hundred people turn up and the donations were mind blowing! From generous monetary donations to bags of food and beds, people gave with all their hearts for the betterment of the shelter and we couldn’t be more thankful. We’re especially thankful to K9 Matteo and his family, who fundraised on their own and provided a huge donation! My family and I are so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and we hope that through this event we’ve spread Christmas cheer and provided the shelter with some much needed resources!
"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We hope to stop by the shelter very soon to drop everything off!" (Phoebe, Kath & Ken Kelleher)
