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Westchester County Police Cadets wrapping gifts from the Blue Santa Toy Drive.
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Westchester County Police Cadets wrapping gifts from the Blue Santa Toy Drive.
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A bin of donated gifts wrapped during the wrapping detail.
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Taking a dinner break during the wrapping detail.
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Blue Santa walking down the staging lot where emergency vehicles lined up before going to the hospital.
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A Police Department truck decorated for the event.
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First responders wave to children in the windows of Maria-Fareri Children’s Hospital during Operation Good Night Lights.
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First responders wave to children in the windows of Maria-Fareri Children’s Hospital during Operation Good Night Lights.
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A police helicopter flies by Maria-Ferrari Children’s Hospital as first responder vehicles line the driveway during Operation Good Night Lights.
In mid-December, the Westchester County Police Department took part in the annual Operation Blue Santa toy drive and visit to Maria-Fareri Children’s Hospital and Blythdale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, NY. The event brought holiday cheer to kids who can’t spend the holidays at home this year.
The multi-day event began on December 12 at the Westchester County Police Academy for the wrapping detail. Cadets in the Westchester County Police Cadet program worked together with officers and volunteers to wrap the hundreds of gifts received from generous donors during the Blue Santa toy drive. The gifts were sorted into bins by age and gender, and the entire wrapping process took over three hours and dozens of rolls of wrapping paper to complete.
On December 14, the holiday squad shifted its focus to decorating emergency vehicles and beeline buses to carry Blue Santa, his elves and his presents to the hospitals. Police trucks and vans, as well as buses from the County Department of Public Works and Transportation, were plastered with festive lights, wreaths, banners and even inflatable decorations.
The final stage of the event, called Good Night Lights, took place on Tuesday, December 16. In the morning, Blue Santa visited Blythdale Children’s Hospital with a convoy of volunteer elves, bringing gifts and holiday spirit to patients.
In the evening, emergency vehicles, including fire trucks, police cars and vans, a Medical Evacuation Transportation Unit and dozens of police motorcycles lined the parking lots of Westchester Community College. At 6:00, the long parade began its march to Maria-Fareri Children’s Hospital, with an array of motorcycles leading the way and a line of flashing lights and wailing sirens following.
Once at the hospital, the participants, including police officers, firefighters and cadets from multiple cadet programs, exited the vehicles and stood outside the hospital entrance, waving glowing blue light wands at kids inside the hospital. The patients, with glowing candy cane light wands, waved from the windows at the congregation of first responders below. With a helicopter flyby, carols, a bubble machine and Blue Santa bearing gifts, the event brought happiness into the lives of countless children who must stay in the hospital this holiday season.
