City and its partners ready to spread holiday cheer to kids, classrooms
The City of Wichita, Starkey, Inc. and Cambridge Market are once again teaming up to spread holiday cheer through the Letters to Santa project, with new incentives for classrooms to participate. Starting Nov. 12 through Dec. 11, children in Wichita and the surrounding area ages 12 and under are invited to drop off their Letters to Santa at one of these six locations:
- CityArts, 334 N. Mead
- Cowtown, 1865 W. Museum Blvd.
- Mid-America All-Indian Center, 650 N. Seneca
- Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center (Concert Hall entrance), 225 E. Douglas
- Cambridge Market, 9747 East 21st Street N.
- Starkey, Inc., 4500 W. Maple
Every child who participates will receive a reply from Santa himself and be entered into prize drawings. To receive a reply, the letter must include the child’s age, phone number and/or e-mail and a return address; return postage is not necessary. The two grand prizes are:
- Guest appearance on KAKE News at 11 a.m. with Jemelle Holopirek to read his/her letter on live TV; and
A ride on a Wichita Fire Department fire truck.
Other individual prizes include family memberships to Cowtown and the Indian Center, a youth art class at CityArts, gift certificate for four to attend an upcoming performance at Century II and $50 in Cambridge Bucks that can be spent at any store in Cambridge Market.
New this year are the addition of classroom prizes:
- Pizza parties for two classrooms courtesy of Little Caesars and Pizza Hut; and
- Field trips for three classrooms to CityArts, Cowtown and the Indian Center (transportation is not provided).
Teachers may deliver their students’ letters at any drop-off location in a large envelope with their school’s name on the outside. The individual letters should include the child’s age, phone number and/or e-mail so they can be eligible for individual prizes as well. Santa’s responses will be sent to the students via the schools’ addresses. Class letters are due by Dec. 4 with the drawing scheduled for Dec. 7 to allow enough time for the pizza parties to take place before winter break.
For more information, e-mail Angela Cato, marketing director, City of Wichita Division of Arts & Cultural Services, at acato@wichita.gov or call 316-303-8639.