In December, 2010 some friends were talking about ways they could make children happy in hospitals at Christmas time. One of the friends had an idea about finding an old snow sleigh for Santa Claus to use at Christmas time in hospitals. Eventually, in August of 2011, an old sleigh was found. With the help of a lot of friends, with the same goals, it was taken to a mechanic shop and restored back to its original splendor. Four months later the sleigh was complete and a custom set of wooden steps were constructed to allow for easy access into the sleigh. In addition, an aluminum rolling frame was built to allow the sleigh to be moved easily within the hospitals.
As the paint was drying, Santa Claus called and said he needed it at Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston Salem, NC on December 19, 2011. And that was the beginning of an annual event that would take place at several children’s hospitals.
Special Thanks To:
- Keith Smith for the custom wood sleigh steps
- Johnny Neese for the custom aluminum frame
- Ken Batts, Steven Pegram, and Rob Hefner for the custom paint job
- Jonathan with Keystone Paint for paint donations
- Joe Cummings with The Strip Shop for stripping the sleigh
- John Humble with Routh Signs for the signs on the trailer
- Keith Evans for donating the use of the trailer
- Big Al with A-1 Trim for the sleigh cover
- Wayne Lanning who is Santa’s helper
- Tom Neill who is Santa’s helper
- Jeanie Lanning who is Mrs. Clause
- Benjamin and Jacob Harden for working on the sleigh
- All the wonderful staff at all children hospitals for the wonderful job they do with children.