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Flight to the North Pole
By Scott Sparks

On Saturday, December 3rd, nearly 100 excited kids will gather at a United Airlines terminal at San Antonio International Airport for a very special flight to the North Pole to visit Santa’s Workshop. Each child may be accompanied to the airport by up to four people, but only one lucky adult gets a boarding pass to accompany their child on this magical trip.

Now in its 27th year, this annual event includes kids from “0 to 14.” Each year, up to 100 kids are chosen for this special adventure to visit Santa at his workshop because each one is ill with cancer. Let’s pray not, but this may be the last Christmas that some of these kids have outside of a hospital.

This annual event is made possible by an all-volunteer partnership between the American Cancer Society, United Airlines, a private carrier, and the Alamo Heights High School Interact Club with sponsorship from the Alamo Heights Rotary Club. Local employees at the airport in San Antonio deserve a special nod to make this “Flight to the North Pole” seem as real as possible. The non-profit Partnership for Corporate Aviation Training plays an integral role in organizing and planning the Flight to the North Pole.

Once everyone is onboard the plane, the windows shades are drawn shut and the plane taxis around for about 20 minutes to simulate the “flight.” While en route to the North Pole, the kids are entertained by clowns and told the story about this magical plane. Upon arrival at Santa’s Workshop (the plane actually stops inside the climate-controlled environment of a private carrier’s hangar), the kids are greeted one-by-one by none other than Mrs. Clause herself! Each child immediately receives a stuffed toy and an elf’s hat to wear.

The kids are free to explore this huge, sparkling, magical world of Santa’s Workshop. There’s a 45-foot Christmas tree with presents galore underneath, toys and dolls may come to life at any moment, holiday music fills the air, and everyone gets all the chicken nuggets, pizza slices and juice-boxes that they want. All adult and high school volunteers are dressed in brightly colored festive costumes and each one is there to bring joy to these special children.

A local professional clown troop called the Jolly Joeys entertains the kids with their antics, paints their faces, and creates balloon animals. Last year, Batman and Raggedy Ann and Andy mingled among the kids, and this year, they hope to add the Spurs’ Coyote to the cast of characters. They’re also hoping to have an interactive Jack-in-the-Box this year that’s built by airport mechanics.

Thanks to the San Antonio Airport Fire Department, the kids can explore “Big Bertha,” a huge fire truck, and they can tour the spiffy equipment onboard and the fire suits worn by during emergencies. A very long and sleek “funny car” dragster is also expected to be on hand like it was last year, and with adult supervision, the kids can play with remote-control airplanes.

Volunteers from radio station K-LOVE 91.3 play holiday music for the kids. Last year, they spotted a 5-year-old boy in a cute cowboy outfit so they played a country song for him. To everyone’s delight, this boy danced up a storm and was joined at the end by a little girl. After the song ended, the boy told the girl that he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and the girl told him she had lymphoma. Kids being kids (but also poignantly reminding those within earshot that this was a special occasion), the boy and girl bantered for “bragging rights” about who was sickest.

Finally, a private jet called “The Nick 1” appears and the door slowly opens. It’s Santa Clause!!! Santa welcomes and thanks each child for visiting his workshop.

After each child gets special attention and Santa must leave, Mrs. Clause joins him inside The Nick 1 and the kids wave to wish them a good flight. Soon after, the kids board their “flight” home with their goodies in tow and they re-join their family and friends at the terminal who’ve been waiting for their return. What a story each child now has to share about their great adventure to Santa’s Workshop in the North Pole!

If you want to donate funds or volunteer for this event:
Call the San Antonio chapter of the American Cancer Society at 210-614-4212 and designate “Flight to the North Pole” for your donation.

Or contact Connie Harrison, a volunteer (who is also Mrs. Clause at this event but that’s a secret), at 210-345-5460 or email her at Connie.Harrison@valero.com.