Event gives children gifts, time with Santa

YOUNGSTOWN -- Up to 300 children who may not otherwise receive gifts this holiday season will have breakfast with Santa from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. next Saturday at the YMCA. The event combines holiday fun with a message about the importance of reading and the joy of giving and serving, said Ellie Plant of Meridian Services Inc. The event is sponsored by Prevention Partners Plus with the help of Youngstown Reads Early. Plant said Prevention Partners Plus is a partnership between Meridian Services and the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic, formed in 1994 to provide comprehensive drug and alcohol prevention services to schools and communities.
Besides breakfast with Santa, participants will receive gifts and have their pictures taken with Santa. AmeriCorps members will read stories aloud, reinforcing the importance of literacy and the fact that children who are read to regularly receive the foundation for lifelong academic success, organizers said.