GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Santa made a special visit to Grand Rapids Saturday for a special group of kids.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services held its 14th annual Signing Santa event for deaf, deaf-blind and hard of hearing children and their families.
“Our event is so important because, really, deaf children don’t get the same opportunities as maybe their hearing peers when it comes to, especially the holidays,” Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Community and Partnerships Manager Erin Chapin said. “We think it’s important that every child have an opportunity to make holiday memories, like seeing Santa, and let him know what they want for Christmas, or getting together with their friends and making crafts or enjoying cookies.”
Nancy Piersma is the advocacy specialist and community education coordinator for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.
“There is a woman named Nancy Gingery, and she came up with this idea in the year 2000. She is a deaf woman herself, and she came up with the idea to have a signing, deaf Santa— thought it would be nice for the children to be able to communicate with Santa in sign language, in their own language, because that is easier for them to feel connected,” Piersma explained.
She told FOX 17 through an interpreter Saturday that she would have loved to have an event like this available when she was a child.
“During my time, I had wished that I had an event like this, and I would tell those kids, too, that it’s so great and we should be thankful that we have access,” Piersma added. “I feel like it’s amazing just to see it happening, see the children interacting and enjoying their time with Santa, and they can communicate. They have interpreters here. They have other people around who can sign so they really just feel like they are in the community, and it’s a, it’s a positive for this area, and it’s a good accommodation for deaf and hard of hearing children.”
Ten-year-old Donna attended Saturday’s event with her family.
“I like to do the arts and crafts, and I like visiting with Santa because he could sign,” she told FOX 17 through an interpreter. “I’m excited for Christmas because I’ll get the chance to play with my new toys, and I got to see Santa today [Saturday], so that was exciting.”
Organizers say, each year, they rely on community-donated gifts to give to the kids, along with financial support.
Click here if you're interested in donating to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services.
