Families in Michigan City were presented with an exciting Christmas celebration on Saturday, December 16. La Porte County Family YMCA hosted its annual holiday event at the Elston Branch. The festivities ran from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.
Kathy Workman, director at the Elston Branch YMCA, always looks forward to treating the community to this event.
“We’ve been doing this for about six years now,” Workman said. “Giving the kids fun and safe events that are cost-efficient is really important to us. We love to provide families with opportunities to come together and connect with each other.”
There were plenty of activities to keep families busy. Santa Claus was taking pictures and helping out at the crafts table.
“The gym has been transformed into an obstacle course,” Workman said. “When the kids reach the end, they can grab a present while an elf chases them to the finish line. There’s plenty of Christmas crafts, holiday cookies, and other fun games that are themed to the holidays.”
Workman credits Youth and Family Coordinator Sage Santana for organizing the event this year. Santana wanted to create an atmosphere for the event that manifests the feeling that families would have when visiting the North Pole.
“We created a passport station style for this event,” Santana said. “Families can go around to different stations to participate in everything we have to offer and meet Santa Claus.”
While the annual event has been a staple for the La Porte County Family YMCA over the years, this is the first time that Santana has been in charge of running the event. She believes that this event embodies what the organization is all about.
“The biggest thing for us is fostering a sense of community,” Santana said. “Healthy engagement and family fun are two areas we try to focus on. We do similar events that we rotate every month, but this is a great time for everybody to get prepared for Christmas.”
Santana also acknowledges that Marquette Catholic High School and a local Air Force recruiter assisted with arranging the event behind the scenes.
The festivities generated a lot of smiling faces. This included Gary Schlabach, who came to the event with his friend.
“I love coming here,” Schlabach said. “The YMCA gives us a place to not just exercise, but also come together as a family. Some of these kids here could be getting into trouble, but it’s great to see how they can bring excitement with something creative.”
Schlabach frequently attends events put on by the YMCA. He’s appreciative of the organization being unique and introducing new ideas every time.
“It’s great to see these families getting prizes that they might not be able to afford themselves,” Schlabach said. “I’m looking forward to more events like this. They get better every year.”
La Porte County Family YMCA is thankful for all the support from the community and the volunteers who helped work on the event.
For more information on the La Porte County Family YMCA, you can visit their website.
