By Pat Andrews
Beacon staff writer

posted Dec 18, 2012 - 5:47:31pm

Nothing brings people together like the holidays. The holidays can even grant new family members, if only for a day.

That’s what happened at The Cloisters Retirement Community in DeLand Dec. 12. Residents became grandparents to children from the DeLand Head Start program, and staff became Santa’s helpers.

For the fifth year in a row, the groups of young and older people shared a Christmas party, complete with a visit by Santa Claus, which garnered a standing ovation from both age groups.

The 40-plus children had lunch and a party, complete with songs and music provided by Cloisters marketing director Gwen Redman and her guitar, in the atrium of The Cloisters. The children ate lunch with their Cloisters grandparents-for-a-day; then came the big moment:

Santa Claus, assisted by Reid Lighton, the Cloisters resident who began the Christmas parties five years ago, gave each child a Christmas present.

The presents were nice ones, too.

Lighton began volunteering at Head Start about six years ago, assisting the federally funded program in its mission to assure that young children in need are ready to enter school by the time kindergarten rolls around.

Lighton came up with the idea of a Cloisters Christmas party for the children, to make sure they all had some fun and a Christmas present. The idea took off, and Cloisters residents raised $200 for the first Christmas party.

It’s grown since then.

“This year, we raised $625 for everyone to get great gifts,” Cloisters activities director Cheryl Starling said.

“Our seniors here have a lot to offer,” she said.

That offering is not just money or gifts. The young children enjoyed the attention from their temporary grandparents.

It was hard to tell who enjoyed the party more — the youngsters or their grandparents.

See the full album of photos from the party at the Beacon Online, at www.beacononlinenews.com.

For more information about DeLand Head Start, call 386-736-1325 or 1-888-227-0010.

— pat@beacononlinenews.com

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