NAACP and Downtown Normal Announce Santa's Station Partnership

The Town of Normal, Uptown Partners, and the NAACP are proud to announce a new partnership this holiday season.  Each year, thousands of kids and families come to Santa's Station in Uptown Normal for a chance to meet the big man himself!  Visits to Santa's Station are free, but donations are accepted with proceeds benefiting local charities including Special Olympics.

Program coordinators noticed during the first several years of operation that the accessible location and low cost drew an extraordinarily diverse patronage.

"In operating Santa's Station for the past few years, we've seen all sorts of kids and families come out that we might not typically see at some of our events," says Uptown Manager Joe Tulley.

At the same time, The McLean County Museum of History honored Merlin Kennedy as a 2015 History Maker. Mr. Kennedy was at the center of a strong debate that raged in Bloomington Normal surrounding the racial identity of our favorite holiday icon, Santa Claus. In the late sixties, the NAACP attempted to enter a float featuring a black Santa Claus in the annual Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade and was barred from participating, prompting debate and protest from both sides of the issue.

The diverse nature of the Santa Station audience, combined with an awareness of community members' struggle to participate in holiday traditions, inspired the new partnership. On Saturday, December 12, from 12 to 4 p.m., and Friday, December 18, from 4 to 8 p.m., the NAACP will host Santa's Station featuring a diverse cast of volunteers in key roles.  The goal of the partnership is to create a fun experience while enhancing the effort to be more inclusive in our shared traditions.

"I am honored to be a part of such an inaugural event because this is truly history in the making," says Takesha Stokes, B-N NAACP 1st Vice President. "There is still much work to be done in the area of diversity and inclusion; however, this will move forward our efforts of breaking barriers and working to change the norm in Normal-Bloomington."

Santa's Station is open throughout the month of December, visit UptownNormal.com for Santa's Station hours and details.
 

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Arlene: Special Olympics Changing Lives and Attitudes for More Than 47 Years

Arlene Hosea

WJBC Forum

What began as a backyard summer camp for people with intellectual disabilities is now a “global movement that has been changing lives and attitudes for more than 47 years.”

 Eunice Kennedy Shiver had a vision and a goal.  The vision was a summer day camp in her back yard for young people with disabilities.  Her goal was to “learn what these children could do in sports and other activities, and not dwell on what they could not do.”

 That vision and goal continue to remain the purpose and the passion within Special Olympics Illinois today.  Our state and community are embedded in the history of Special Olympics.  The first Special Olympics Games where held in 1968 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Judge James Knecht and Ron Ross were there in 1968 with a group of boys from the Lincoln Development Center, connecting this community to the history of the first games.  In addition, the Special Olympics Illinois main office is located in Normal. 

 When I joined the Special Olympics Board of Directors several years ago, I began to learn more about Special Olympics.  We have 22,000 athletes in Traditional (children and adults) and 20,000 Young Athletes (ages 2-7), all fostering inclusion and acceptance.  In this community we have very strong programs with SOAR and Unit 5.  Unit 5 is leading the way with Project Unify matching individuals with and without intellectual disabilities, fostering Youth Activation, Unified Sports and Spread the Word to End the Word (R Word Campaign). 

 The athletes are the heart, soul and spirit of Special Olympics Illinois.  Athletes serve on the Board of Directors and in addition, they also serve as Global Messengers and speak to organizations, agencies and get to introduce people like the First Lady Michelle Obama at Special Olympic World Games 2015!  If you have not heard a Global Messenger speak, you are missing a very powerful presentation.  Each messenger has their own personal story and passion, it will move you.  You can learn more about Special Olympics Illinois by looking at their website or contacting them. 

 As a community and as a state, we have a great history in Special Olympics and thousands of athletes statewide to be very proud of.  I hope my community will continue to stand with Special Olympics Illinois today and tomorrow.

 The Special Olympics oath completes the story:

 “Let me win.  But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”

 I thank the athletes for being brave, being humble and for fostering inclusion and acceptance.  Let us all learn from you.