South Bay "Mrs. Claus" brings Christmas joy and more to San Jose families
It's the most wonderful time of the year for a South Bay woman who has played Mrs. Claus for more than 40 years for the children of North San Jose's Alviso District.
Judy Santiago's "sleigh" is a shopping cart at Target. Her elves are energetic volunteers.
"I call them my village. So many people have stepped in to help volunteer," she smiled.
Santiago has made her list and checked it twice to make sure all 300 children from Alviso's George Mayne Elementary School will get a gift at the party she's hosting the next day.
"It's been going on so long, it's just part of me, I think," she chuckles.
The toy giveaway started in 1983 after a major flood in Alviso left some families out of their homes for months.
That holiday season at the library, Santiago and her husband, Joe Santiago, brought candy canes. He donned the Santa suit that he often wore to entertain their grandkids, and they took pictures with the children.
"A lot of the families were devastated. They lost pretty much everything," Santiago remembered. "We didn't have money to buy toys, but just having Santa come really cheered up the kids."
That was how the Santa Visits Alviso Foundation was born. Each year, Joe (a roofing contractor by trade) and Judy (who worked in the tech world) dressed as Santa and Mrs. Claus. And they raised money to give holiday toys to Alviso's underserved children.
Judy has kept the foundation rolling after Joe passed away in 2002 from complications from a brain abscess.
"We need a lot of happiness in the world. Hopefully we can do our part," she explained.
Over the years, other family members and volunteers have stepped in to play Santa alongside Santiago as Mrs. Claus.
Today, at age 87, she and her volunteers organized the annual party at the youth center with pictures, presents, and celebrities like Sourdough Sam, the San Francisco 49ers mascot.
The event include games, bicycle donations from Community Cycles of California, and a resource fair highlighting community support like Second Harvest Food Bank.
In addition to the holiday party, Santiago also invests in the children. Her nonprofit has awarded more than a $1.1 million in scholarships to more than a hundred students since 2006.
First generation college student Jose Ruiz has received scholarships over several years to pursue his degree in environmental studies.
The best part is that Santiago mentors each student. Ruiz said she was just the encouragement he needed. She urged him to keep going when he'd dropped out.
"She sees a light in people that they don't see themselves. And she encourages your personal growth," Ruiz said.
Scholarship recipient Danielle Kendall says Santiago's support will help her achieve her dream to become a Supreme Court law clerk.
"She's a great role model. She's always telling me to do my best, inspire me, someone to lean on if I need anything. She's awesome," Kendall said.
Santa Visits Alviso serves the district's children year round, with an Easter egg hunt, funding for swimming lessons and a summer program.
Santiago's family joins her in serving the community. Between them, she and Joe had seven kids, plus 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, with another on the way.
With four generations volunteering together, Santiago hopes Santa Visits Alviso is a gift that keeps giving.
"I'm sure the family will continue on, for hopefully many generations," she beamed.
So for bringing joy for more than 40 years through Santa Visits Alviso, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Judy Santiago.
