First you heard the sirens: screeching, loud, relentless. Then came the ambulances,
fire trucks, buses - all to bring Christmas cheer.
Lights, horns and people swept through Meriden Sunday evening to deliver
song and gifts to several families as part of the fifth annual "Spirit of Giving" sponsored by Hunter's Ambulance
Service. Lest anyone think there was a major emergency, dozens of carolers poured out of the buses at every stop.
"It's only going to get bigger and bigger," said Bill
McGovern of Hunter's, who dressed as Santa, rode in a sleigh and held children in his lap at every stop. Everyone who
participates in the event gets sucked in, he said.
Debbie Barry, who played Mrs. Claus, said she jumped at the chance
to play the role for the first time. "I love Christmas," she said.
David Lowell of Hunter's, who spearheads
the event, said many families are too proud to get help but that those who do are extremely grateful. This year, the "highlight"
family received a wheelchair van, wheelchairs, safety beds and other devices for two children with neuron-degenerative disease.
The caravan began the evening quietly because of the solemnity of the first stop. It came to Hubbard Park to pay tribute
to three families who have lost loved ones this year, including Christian and Sarah Bourdon, whose young son Noah died after
falling from a city playscape, as well as the mothers of Joey Reed and Jeff Boucher, a Meriden police sergeant.
The families
gathered at the site of the future "Noah's Ark of Hope," a safety-first playground on a knoll on the east side
of the park, where a reproduction of Castle Craig now stands in the form of Christmas lights.
The families were presented
with white poinsettias, to represent the purity of the children who were lost, and a wreath because its round shape represented
the never-ending love of their families, Lowell said.
"It's just very moving," Sarah Bourdon said. "We
don't even know half these people."
Then the police motorcycles and ambulances turned on their sirens and made
their way through Me-riden neighborhoods. Nearly 200 volunteers were on hand to distribute gifts. The first stop was Debbie
Kee's family, which was displaced by fire seven months ago.
The family's presents they covered the bottom half
of their small, silver Christmas tree. After the slew of volunteers poured in and out of their Reservoir Avenue apartment,
Mayor Mark D. Benigni, dressed in a sweater and jeans, came in for a quick visit.
"Oh my God, I have never in my
life - " Kee exclaimed. She looked out the window at the crowd of well-wishers, repeating, "Oh my God, Oh my God."
"I really don't believe this," Kee said. "There are some great people here in Meriden."
On
the next stop, the family wasn't home to receive the caravan. A 16-year-old boy was the only one at the home because his
mother and sisters were held up on their way home from church in New Britain. But that didn't stop the crowds from dropping
off the gifts and singing the carols.
Rosalind Levey, a single mother on Elm Street, wept as the volunteers swept through
her home. "I just want to say thank you," she said.
"I was worried about Christmas, but now ..."
Levey said, cutting herself off.
"I just think it's a great experience to give to the less fortunate,"
said Billie Jo Westfort, who has worked at Hunter's for two months and brought her children on the caravan because she
thought it would be a good experience for them.
"It's a good experience being a part of the gift of giving,"
said her daughter, Alyssa, 12.
John Moore, 14, said that last year the caravan visited the family of one of his friends.
This was John's second year as a volunteer and he said it was rewarding to see the look on the faces of the families.
"It's a lot of fun to see how happy they are," he said.
"It makes you appreciate what you have,"
said Mary Bedford, whose neighbor was a beneficiary of the caravan in a previous year and who has volunteered for four years.
Last year, the caravan honored June Hadley's 21-year-old grandson, Matthew Flanagan, who was killed in a motorcycle
accident.
"This year I've reciprocated by participating," she said. She also is a member of the Kiwanis
Club, one of the primary sponsors.
"Last year was just so moving. It was incredible," she said. "I decided
immediately to be a part of it this year."
Residents have complained of the noise in past years, said police Sgt.
Glenn Milslagle, who drove an emergency van at the front of the procession. When the caravan approached, neighbors stood outside
their homes to see what all the fuss was about. Some were very impressed.
"I've never seen this in my life,"
said Louis Serrano, who has lived in Meriden for 22 years and was visiting a friend near where the caravan stopped.
"I've
never seen such loving, caring people," said Linda Wright, whose family on South Colony Street received bedroom furniture
and a Christmas tree with decorations. "This is what Meriden needs every day."
"God has angels,"
her daughter, Mildred, added, "and he sent them right to Colony Street."
jbond@record-journal.com
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