Santa for a Day delivers 1,400 gifts to CHA children who wrote letters to Santa Claus

Presents delivered to nine CHA locations all over Chicago

CHICAGO – RealEstateRama – For the third consecutive year, Santa for a Day – a website that connects retailers with donors to grant children Christmas gifts – delivered gifts to Chicago Housing Authority children who wrote letters to Santa Claus.

About 1,400 gifts were delivered to nine CHA locations around Chicago last week.

“Thanks to Santa for a Day, CHA children who may not otherwise receive a Christmas gift will do so,” said CHA CEO Tracey Scott. “We thank Rick Gentile and the donors for their generosity, not only this year, but previous years as well.”

More than 10 years ago, Gentile, an independent television producer, happened upon a local post office when he noticed thousands of children’s letters written to Santa Claus. The public was encouraged to pick a letter they liked, and fulfill a gift request. He was horrified to find that only about 100 of the 10,000 letters would be answered.

So, Gentile established “Santa for a Day.”

The CHA children wrote their letters to Santa last month. All the letters were collected and scanned onto the Santa for a Day website, which included a link to three gift items. Once posted, the public purchased a gift for a CHA child by clicking on the link.

“Our mission is all about the letters: Teaching youngsters the power of the pen, and then rewarding their efforts, by translating their wishes into reality,” Gentile said. “It not only positively reinforces their nascent literacy skills, it also helps them author a different, more positive narrative about life, one sparked by hope and the vision of a brighter future.”

Please visit Santa for a Day at www.santaforaday.net

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Press contacts:
Office of Communications – Chicago Housing Authority
Matthew Aguilar: (312) 935-2646; (312) 523-7067;