Santa Claus greets area kids at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre
Sponsored by the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Auxiliary, Morning with Santa featured arts and crafts, face-painting, snacks and Christmas music by Frankie Gervasi. Each attending child met Santa Claus and received a gift donated by the N.E. Federation of Clubs, an organization comprised of regional motorcycle clubs.
Geisinger employees and auxiliary members were joined by volunteers from Misericordia University, Kistler Elementary School and Pittston Area High School. Volunteers dressed in the spirit of the holiday season, and some were in costume as Disney characters and Christmas legends like The Nutcracker, Mrs. Claus and Santa’s elves.
Gift-bags were distributed to each child, and families were invited to pick from a selection of winter coats, hats and gloves before heading home. Coats were donated by senior members of the Pittston Area National Honor Society, which held a coat drive to gather warm clothing for families in need.
Geisinger auxiliary member and Morning with Santa chair Laine Martin said the event is growing year to year.
“This event is one of the yearly highlights for the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Auxiliary,” Martin said. “To have the opportunity to spend time with the local community and for them to allow us to bring them early holiday-season cheer is a blessing, and we’re grateful for the time and effort given by our volunteers.”
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
