26th Annual Project Santa Claus – 2019
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
Project Santa Claus is an annual holiday festival organized by the CDU / UCLA Medical Education Program, and the SNMA CDU / UCLA Chapter for children who are patients in the Department of Pediatrics at MLK Jr. Outpatient HUB Clinic. This community outreach event is free to the public and provides children with a full day of fun that includes meeting and taking pictures with Santa, receiving a present, face painting, games, party jumpers, carnival snacks, and lunch for the family.
This year, 276 children attended Project Santa Claus! We ' d like to thank our alumni, friends, students, staff, and faculty for their donation contributions, and all volunteers for their time to make this event a success!
Student participant comments:
“ It was my first time volunteering at Project Santa Claus and I really enjoyed being able to connect with the community. Many of the families I talked to looked forward to the toys, food and activities and to just have a fun place to celebrate the holidays.”
— Wendy Cervantes De León, MS1
Project Santa Claus is about sharing a meal, joy, and getting to know the South LA community. As a medical student, the time spent in the classroom can be exhausting, but this event is rejuvenating and empowering. It ' s a reminder of why I wanted to become a physician in the first place. It ' s amazing and truly humbling to see the smile of the little girl I did face painting with or the little boy who eagerly opened his gift. This event brings joy and that just pulls at your heartstrings.
— Denise McIntyre, MPH MD Candidate, Class of 2022
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