‘Be a Santa to a Senior’ brings smiles and tears to the elderly

FORT MYERS, Fla.- Thousands of seniors across Lee, Collier and Charlotte Counties opened presents Tuesday. Many of them would have gone without this Christmas if not for their Secret Santas.

The “Be a Santa to a Senior” program distributed 12,000 gifts in Southwest Florida.

The gifts brought smiles and tears to more than 100 seniors at Citrus Gardens.

Some were visited by family and friends, but many only had those sitting next to them.

“I don’t have family to come, I don’t have any family… So this is my family,” said Barbara Campagna.

Campagna is the Gardens’ mayor of 8 years.

“I try to quit and they won’t let me!” Campagna never gives up and it seems Santa hasn’t given up on her.

So many special gifts brought tears to their eyes, all of them were a surprise.

Some, like Phillip so unsuspecting, tried to give his present back until he read the tag. “I just didn’t expect presents for Christmas.”

Six-thousand elderly residents, each given two special gifts. Things they asked for, things they need.

It isn’t the gifts that make Christmas real. It’s the thought they haven’t been forgotten, that someone still cares.

While not everyone could voice their thanks, they still managed to find a way to show how much it meant.

Home Instead sponsors the “Be a Santa to a Senior” program. If you’d like to donate, click here to learn more.