Spring Brings Visit by Long-Awaited Santa

For Cathy, a homeless mother of six children, last year’s Christmas “wasn’t Christmas.”

Her family had been kicked out of their home in Long Beach and for months had moved from home to home among friends and family in the San Fernando Valley.

There was a tree in the house they happened to be staying in at Christmas time, and Cathy, who asked that her last name not be printed, managed to buy a few meager gifts for her children--four boys and two girls, ranging in age from 6 months to 14 years.

But there was no Santa Claus. Until Sunday.

“They’re so happy,” said Cathy of her children as they all attended Christmas in the Spring, an annual celebration for homeless families sponsored by a group of Universal Studios employees who devote their spare time to community projects.

This year, 65 families attended the off-season Christmas party thrown by the group, called Volunteers on Location, at the Trudy and Norman Louis Valley Shelter in North Hollywood. Studio executives cooked hot dogs and pork ribs for the celebration dinner, and Santa gave out presents collected during a gift drive at the studio.

“We chose to do this event in the spring because there are families who are not here at Christmas,” said Jojo Tardino, a volunteer who coordinated the gift-giving part of the event. “These are the kids that get left out.”

This was the fifth year for the party. Christmas music filled the air at the shelter, and ribbons and snow scenes decorated the walls.

Jeff Farber, director of social services for the Los Angeles Family Housing Corp., which operates the shelter, said the party shows residents that the community at large has not forgotten them.

“It’s this type of event that lets the residents know they remember them and care about them all year round,” Farber said.

The annual party also sometimes creates job opportunities.

“They were bright people who had fallen on hard times,” said Scott Nostaja, senior vice president of administration at Universal, remembering the Petrova family from Bulgaria he met at the 1994 Christmas in the Spring. Nostaja arranged employment for the parents and eldest daughter.

“I’m so happy with these people,” said Dimitrina Petrova. She and her two daughters had returned as volunteers to help with the party this year. Petrova said it was her turn to help the children of the shelter.

“When I see their eyes, I see their pain,” she said. “They need the help. It’s worth it to see the smile in their eyes.”