“Snow Day & Pancake Breakfast” at the Ocean Air Park

On Saturday December 7^th the Ocean Air Recreation Center hosted the fourth annual “Snow Day in the Park.”  All the proceeds from this event went to help fill Santa’s bag for those in need.  The Toys For Tots foundation’s mission is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

Toys For Tots is run by the United States Marine Corps.  The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens.  The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help less fortunate children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

A great deal of community teamwork went into creating this great charity event.  There was a 50-foot snow sled run and a bunny slope for the younger children.  There was a fantastic pancake breakfast with hash browns, fruit, yogurt, and coffee.  Kids were busy playing fun games like bingo and making arts and crafts.  You could see kids running around with face paintings and balloon animals.  To top it all off there was a visit from Santa and two incredible bounce houses.  This event brought together by the Carmel Valley community for a festive morning and great fun.

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Name: Santiago Benito

School: Canyon Crest Academy

Dream: Santiago hopes to one day become a documentary film director and producer.  He also hopes to write and make Hollywood films.

Interests:  He enjoys reading almost as much as he enjoys writing; my favorite book is The Life of Pi by Yann Martel.  Santiago have had an interest in the art of cinema ever since he could remember.  From an early age, Santiago has been mesmerized by the beauty of the lines said and the actors on the big screen.  While many kids have a hard time trying to figure out what they want to do after they get out of school, Santiago knew right off the bat that he wanted to be involved in the world of cinema somehow.  Aside from that, he enjoys playing basketball and spending time with family and friends.  In addition, Santiago is very interested in being involved in things much larger than himself.  For example, he is a part of many non-profit organizations whose goals are to help people and communities all over the world (i.e. Japan, Africa, and the Untied States).

Journey: He was born in San Diego on August 14, 1998 and has had a wonderful life growing up in the Carmel Valley area.