Livingston community comes together to spread holiday cheer

Santa made a list, checked it twice and found out that the children and seniors of Livingston have been nice.

With the help of the Livingston Police Department and community members, Santa and Mrs. Claus made their way around town spreading holiday cheer on Thursday afternoon.

The jolly couple, portrayed by officer Anthony Vieira and wife Gina, made their first stop at the Livingston Senior Center to deliver gifts to about 20 seniors. Grateful for their new gifts, the seniors were all smiles as packages and bags were handed out.

Police chief Ruben Chavez drove the North Pole couple to Livingston High School, where teachers and staff had collected a cart full of toys that were then delivered to the Kops for Kids toy drive.

This year, 575 children in Livingston signed up to take part in the Kops for Kids event, organizers said. The event, which takes place at the City Council chambers, has been a Livingston tradition for more than 20 years.

During the event, all children, ages 3 to 11, walk away with toys, and 50 lucky children also take home new bikes. The gifts are wrapped by community and high school volunteers dressed as elves.

The bicycles are donated by Livingston’s Millard family and the MacKinnon family of Petaluma. This is the fifth year the two families have raised money to purchase bicycles for local children. The bikes are donated in honor of Kalem Millard, 20, who was killed during an ATV accident 10 years ago.

The rest of the toys are bought through donations made by several local organizations, businesses and families.

For organizers, the Kops for Kids event is one way to collaborate with the community.

“With everything that’s going on in the U.S., this is the perfect opportunity to let our community know that we do care,” Chavez said. “The best part is that it puts a smile on the kids’ faces – that’s what it’s all about.”

This story was originally published December 18, 2014 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Livingston community comes together to spread holiday cheer."