Students making season brighter for kids

Saturday, November 17, 2007

With Christmas a little more than a month away, a group of Greencastle High School students is working to keep the magic of the season alive for local children.

Chelsea Wyatt, Hanna Beaman and Mitch Robinson, along with Mitch's brother Brad, who is a sophomore in college, decided to make the holiday season brighter this year by offering to answer children's letters to Santa Claus.

The problem -- until several local businesses offered to chip in financially -- was that the students didn't have the means to make it happen.

"They saw a need and wanted to help," said Hollie Wyatt, whose daughter Chelsea is helping with the project.

With donations from Baker's Septic and Jackson Hewitt in Greencastle, along with Wal-Mart donating a mailbox for the cause, the students are ready to begin offering the free service to all the children in the community.

Starting today, children, parents and grandparents are invited to stop by the mailbox, which is located at Visitor's Cove next to the Putnam County Convention and Visitor's Bureau in downtown Greencastle, and drop off a letter, free of charge.

The four students have vowed to help Santa Claus by answering each and every letter.

Wyatt said that every child who submits a letter to Santa Claus will receive a response in the mail, provide they leave their return address. She said it doesn't matter if the children live in Putnam County.

Grandparents are welcome to submit letters for their grandchildren who live away, she said.

The mailbox will be open to accept letter until Dec. 15 in order to give enough time for the letters to be read and a response mailed out.

Wyatt said she hopes a lot of children will drop off their letters, and that if the response is good enough, a second mailbox can be added next year, at another location in town.

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