NEWS |
170-00: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE , December 6, 2000
With this event, the Community Mayors organization provides a day of holiday joy to more than 5,000 special needs children through party favors, gifts, meals and entertainment by various notable celebrities, including Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Santa Claus.
"The Community Mayors is a nonprofit organization that has been dedicated to bringing special events to millions of disabled children since 1875," said Mayor Giuliani, a long-standing member of the Community Mayors of Foley Square, recipient of the organization's 2000 Dominick Della Rocca Lifetime Achievement Award and its 1993 Humanitarian Award. "Thanks to the thousands of unpaid volunteers throughout New York, we expect to share our holiday cheer with more children than ever before."
Santa and Mayor Giuliani arrived this year at noon via a new Delta Shuttle 737-800 wrapped in a festive holiday ribbon to meet and greet the kids, bearing gifts for all. Additional gifts and support were provided by Toys For Tots, Toys "R" Us and FAO Schwarz. Throughout the morning, musical entertainment was provided by the Tottenville Marching band, the award-winning Madison High School Marching Band and the New York City Board of Education's Silver Stars. The children were provided with meals and party favors and entertained by 100 professional clowns. Popeye, Betty Boop, Spiderman and others also particpated.
The event was supported by thousands of volunteers from throughout New York including Delta Air Lines representatives and the Delta Shuttle, Port Authority Police Department, FBI, Secret Service, Supreme Court Officers Association, NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, Board of Education, Fire and Police Departments, and the U.S. Customs Office.
Chartered in 1894 by "Wireless" Louis Zeltner, a great humanitarian, the Locality Mayors were devoted to communal, charitable, and civic activity, with outstanding members such as the late Teddy Roosevelt, then a New York City Police Commissioner. In 1957, the Locality Mayors became the Community Mayors, which now has chapters across the country. For more than 40 years, the Community Mayors have been dedicated to providing recreational therapy for disabled and physically challenged children. Each year the Community Mayors sponsor a schedule of events benefiting more than 80,000 children, many of whom are wheelchair-bound.