NEWPORT BEACH : Santa Arrives by Sea With Children’s Gifts

With water cannons blasting and sirens flashing, a Harbor Patrol boat bore down on the Spirit of Newport and its 115 passengers Sunday afternoon in Newport Harbor.

But not to worry about all the nautical commotion.

It was just Santa Claus arriving to pass out some gifts.

For the fifth straight year, the Sunshine Youth Foundation of Laguna Hills treated foster-care youngsters to a Christmas party--a two-hour spin around the harbor, including lunch. The youngsters, ranging from 4 to 17, watched Santa step from the bow of the Harbor Patrol vessel onto the 110-foot Spirit of Newport bearing a sackful of presents.

The gifts were donated by Survival Insurance Brokerage of Santa Ana, and Santa Claus was played by one of firm’s agents.

Don MacAllister, founder and executive director of the Sunshine Youth Foundation, started the organization in July, 1989, to help foster-care teens find jobs and to sponsor outings such as magic shows and western barbecues.

“I was in foster care for six years and spent two years on the street,” said MacAllister, now 30. “I decided to set up this program so others can avoid what I went through.”

More than 3,000 youngsters in Orange County live in foster homes or in orphanages, MacAllister said. Nearly three-quarters who leave foster care end up on public assistance or going to jail.

Each year, a celebrity donates to the Christmas Party, MacAllister said. This year, singer Barry Manilow gave $1,000.