The banquet rooms at Ridgemont Country Club were decorated with twinkling fairy lights and a beautiful Christmas tree. The magical atmosphere elicited happy oohs and aahs from almost 300 special guests - elementary school students, their teachers and support staff from BOCES 2 programs for Exceptional Children. They were there for Lunch with Santa, organized for over 30 years by our Special Education Parent/Teacher Organization (SEPTO) and the Rotary Club of Greece.
The holiday lunch was served by cheerful volunteers, and entertainment was provided by a magician, a singing clown and many friendly elves. Of course, Santa was the main attraction, and he did not disappoint.
This was the jolly old elf’s second appearance at BOCES 2 for the season. SEPTO also sponsors Breakfast with Santa, hosted by the West Central Kiwanis Club. A buffet pancake breakfast with eggs, sausage, toast, hot cocoa and Christmas cookies was served on Dec. 7 to about 150 students, family members and staff. In addition to Santa, children enjoyed playing instruments and singing holiday songs, led by BOCES 2 Music Therapist Christopher Gold. There were craft stations, a raffle for holiday books donated by SEPTO, and shopping for presents from the SEPTO Scholastic Book Fair, which had just started.
SEPTO President Colleen Dox-Griffith, who has been hard at work behind the scenes all year, said, “These events are only possible because of our amazing community partners and their tireless collaborations with the many volunteers in our SEPTO. They really are responsible for giving hundreds of children the opportunity to celebrate this season with friends.”
If you'd like to get involved with the great work SEPTO does all year long, come to our next meeting on Jan. 22, 2020. It will be held at Rochester Tech Park on 160 Wallace Way, Building 9 in the Department for Exceptional Children Conference Room 270.
Follow SEPTO on Facebook! or more information contact Colleen Dox-Griffith at (585) 617-2393 or
[email protected].