PALMETTO – It was a winter wonderland for the more than 150 children and their families who attended the 34th annual Flight to the North Pole Friday morning at Feld Entertainment in Palmetto.
“[It] give us an opportunity to be here with children that have terminal illnesses, we just want to try to give them a day to just concentrate on being a kid and give them a special day,” said Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells.
Feld Entertainment transformed their rehearsal hall into a magical Christmas world filled with countless activities for kids of all ages to enjoy. Elena Carranza and her daughters are attending for the first time since her daughter Kaeleen Centeno was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis last December.
“So far about this is I get to meet Santa, and I get presents and then spending time with my family,” said Ceneteno.
Carranza says after a year of hard fought battle she’s over the moon seeing her daughters enjoy the event. “She’s struggled through a lot in the last couple year and to see a smile on her face it means a lot to me, it brings joy to my heart,” she said.
Cynthia Gonzalez and her son Cassiel Santos have been attending for years now. Gonzalez says her son is a huge fan of Santa and always has smile on his face when the big man in the red suit arrives with presents.
“We don’t get to go to a lot of events that are geared towards special needs children so to be celebrated today is quite an honor especially for these children,” said Gonzalez.
Santos recently took the internet by storm after a video of him meeting Santa Claus went viral online. “It just means the world to me to see him just smiling full of joy and laughter, he truly is a blessing,” said Gonzalez.
Santa arrived in a Monster Truck filled with presents for all the good boys and girls on the Suncoast, giving the kids a day to feel special.