For families with special needs children, a trip to the shopping mall can be daunting. Even when the trip is to go see Old Saint Nick, the loud sounds, bright lights and crowds of people can create a struggle for children with sensory struggles or other special needs.
That's why the Caring Santa program was started in Simon Properties malls, like the Mall of Georgia and Sugarloaf Mills. Mall management works in partnership with Cherry Hill Programs to create the magical event.
"What we do is, we open early, before public hours so that families within all spectrums of special needs can come in early and have a more subdued visit with Santa," said Ruth Rosenquist, director of PR and marketing for Cherry Hill Programs. "Some of the triggers we might try to mute during the event would be the music in the mall, lighting, there will be obviously less traffic before the mall opens."
Rosenquist said they also try to eliminate the stress of waiting in a line with activity tables for the kids to play with.
Families are called up one at a time and get a more private moment with Santa that could be more comforting for the child.
"The whole premise of Santa Claus is giving of the heart and not expecting anything in return," said one of the Caring Santas. "The Caring Santa program allows the special needs God's children come in and be able to see Santa without all the distractions. And, it gives Santa a little more extra time to spend with them, because we really need to, and we want to."
Mall of Georgia and Sugarloaf Mills both have a Caring Santa event scheduled. Mall of Georgia has one scheduled for Sunday. More information is available here. Those interested in future Caring Santa events can keep an eye on reservations for the Mall of Georgia here and Sugarloaf Mills here.
Wednesday
April 24th, 2024
2:23PM
