The Salem Rotary Club has hosted a holiday celebration for foster children and their families on the North Shore for over 20 years. In partnership with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), this celebration is traditionally hosted at Salem High School and is a highlight of the year for both the children and Rotarians, with pizza, games, crafts, bounce houses, story time, and gifts from Santa. This event is one of two the Salem Club runs each year that allows foster children the opportunity to spend time with their biological siblings, who are often not able to be housed in the same foster home.

 

While we could not host our traditional party this year due to COVID-19, we were still able to bring a little cheer to these children and their families with our Santa’s Drive Through event. Held at the beautiful Kernwood Country Club in Salem, families were greeted with a delicious holiday treat from the Hawthorne Hotel and directed up the beautiful path through the stone gate toward the property’s carport. On the way, families stopped to receive books for children of all ages and original artwork that the children will be able to give their parents as a holiday gift. The grand finale was a meeting Santa and his elf at the carport where all children in the family received a present. Salem Rotarian volunteers, donned in Rotary masks, were stationed throughout the route and working diligently behind the scenes to wrap over 100 gifts and set the stage for a seamless event.