Archbishop's Annual Christmas Benefit For Children Marks Its 59th Year In Philadelphia
By Mark Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Hundreds of youngsters were immersed in the holiday spirit during the Archbishop's annual Christmas benefit for children Thursday afternoon in Center City.
Archbishop Charles Chaput, wearing a train conductor's hat to get into the spirit of "The Polar Express" theme for the party in the Sheraton, circulated among the youngsters who are among those served through a variety of service programs run by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Chaput says the party and the gifts the children received truly represent the spirit of giving at this holiday time.
"It gives our community, the community of Philadelphia and the suburbs an opportunity to reach out and be generous with people who don't have the things that a lot of other people have," said Chaput.
Of course, Santa Claus was a big hit when he arrived to greet the youngsters. But he reminded them of the reason for the season and whose birthday is being observed next week.
Amy Stoner, Director of Catholic Social Services and organizer of the event, says the benefit also raises funds to support programs the archdiocese runs throughout the year.
"All the children in this room are representative of 16,000 children that we serve through Catholic Social Services every year," said Stoner.