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Globe Santa

Santa’s friends have compiled a rich, century-long legacy of help

Things are on the fast track in the Globe building these days as Globe Santa’s in-house associates, led by front man Emilo Campos, hurry to fill some 20,000 packages of presents for delivery in time for Christmas Day.JUSTIN SAGLIO FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE/Globe Freelance

The Globe Santa program has a long historical fetch that extends back to 1910, when the Boston Post began encouraging its readers to pony up for gifts for deserving children at Christmastime. The Globe took over the program in 1956, when the Post folded, and over the following 60 years the newspaper has received almost $46 million in contributions that in turn have provided holiday gifts for more than 2.8 million children in 1.2 million families.

Over the course of last year’s campaign alone, Globe Santa left gifts at the homes of 35,223 children from 19,780families in 196 neighborhoods across Greater Boston, aided greatly by the assistance of 110 registered human services agencies.

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In all, the numbers tell a wondrous story of a community where year after year for more than a century, citizens have given generously so that little children in uncertain circumstances might enjoy their Christmas mornings.

While most contributors simply send money to the program, often anonymously, others send along a note about their personal interests in the program, and still others organize events to help fill Globe Santa’s sleigh.

“I was born in the West End of Boston in 1930,” wrote Samuel Berger of Chestnut Hill last year as he posted yet another donation in a lifetime of contributing to the fund. “I was a recipient of the Post program,” he added, “and Santa didn’t arrive in a sleigh, but in a Boston Post truck.” Over the years, Mr. Berger has noted that he is fortunate that “I now can well afford to pay for another needy child.”

On the event side, the Parkway Running Club (PRC) of West Roxbury has hosted an annual Santa Scamper 5k road race since 1994. In 2004, PRC renamed the race Walter’s Run to honor a very special friend and member, Walter Burgess, who had passed away suddenly in 2003 at age 40. Walter had donated every year to Globe Santa, even when he was a kid.

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Last year Walter's Run raised some $5,000 for Globe Santa and posted additional funding for the YMCA Reach Out Campaign and the Walter Burgess Scholarship Fund. This year’s race will be held next Sunday, Dec. 11, at 11 a.m. at the Y on Bellevue Street in West Roxbury. There’s also a youngsters’ run that will set off at 10:15.


Thomas Mulvoy can be reached at thomas.mulvoy@globe.com. Follow Globe Santa on Twitter @GlobeSanta.