More than 500 people enjoyed a day
of holiday cheer at Sonoma Raceway Saturday at the 8th Annual Race
to the Holidays Christmas Party.
The raceway hosted more than 230
Sonoma Valley children and their families at the event, which featured
caroling, refreshments, a car display, balloon animals and a visit from Santa
Claus, who arrived via special transportation on a Schell-Vista Fire Department
fire truck.
The event, which has attracted more
than 1,800 children since its inception in 2005, culminated with Santa Claus
presenting each child with a bag full of toys. Children ranged in age from
newborn to 12-years-old.
“I had so much fun today,” said
Sonoma’s Angeles Qunitero, six years old. “My favorite part was getting a gift,
getting a stuffed animal and seeing Santa.”
The festive event was held under
cloudy skies, but all of the children left the raceway with new toys and wide
smiles. Following the toy distribution, everyone was treated to a free lunch at
the Raceway Café.
“This is a great opportunity for these
families, some of whom cannot afford gifts this year,” said Maria Calvillo,
receptionist and client resource assistant at La Luz Center in Sonoma. “It’s
been a really tough year for some of them, so this means a lot.”
All children who attended the party
were pre-registered through six Sonoma Valley youth groups, including: Friends
in Sonoma Helping; La Luz Center; Sonoma Valley High School Teen Parent
Program; Valley of the Moon Boys and Girls Club; Sonoma Valley Mentoring
Alliance; and theWillMar Family Grief and Healing Center.
The raceway received a generous
outpouring of support from the community as more than 700 toys were donated for
the party. Some of the drop-off locations included: Sonoma Valley Index
Tribune; Sonoma Valley Sun; Gundlach-Bundschu Winery; Schell-Vista Fire
Department; Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce; the Sonoma Valley Fire
Department; and Redwood Credit Union. The raceway also received toy donations
from United Site Services and the Sonoma Valley Mother’s Club, as well as toothbrushes
and toothpaste for each child from the American Red Cross.
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