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Blue Santa Brings Holiday Cheer to Los Fresnos
- Updated: January 3, 2025
By Mike Villarreal
This past week, Blue Santa, along with the Los Fresnos Police Department, visited Los Fresnos Elementary to greet students and distribute treat bags, bringing joy to everyone. Additionally, on December 17th, Blue Santa visited the toddlers at the Ethel Whipple Memorial Library, spreading holiday cheer and handing out goodies.
The Blue Santa program is a charitable initiative that began when police officers used their own money to purchase toys for children in need. It started in Texas in 1972 in Austin and has since spread to other cities, including Tyler, Beaumont, Kendall County, Lago Vista, and San Antonio.
It didn’t take long for police departments and cities throughout Texas to officially sanction Blue Santa as an annual program. Today, it serves millions of families in need each year.
This program has become a tremendous success in helping families, but achieving this success does not happen overnight. Each year, corporate sponsors and many others generously donate their time and resources to ensure that every December is another successful season of giving.
Although the donations are distributed in December, the collection process begins immediately after Christmas, with toys being gathered year-round by departments across Texas.
Initially, only a few families participated in the program. Now, various companies—both large and small—hold fundraisers that raise thousands of dollars for each department annually, allowing thousands of families to benefit from the generosity of the community.
What began as a small wave of compassion over 50 years ago has now become an ocean of blue-giving, bringing joy and smiles to countless Texas children and serving as a source of heartfelt goodwill from our dedicated men and women in blue.
Photos from the Los Fresnos Police Department and Ethel Whipple Memorial Library Facebook pages
