With Salvation Army help, dad hopes a bike will change daughter’s mind about Santa
Sergio Ayerdiz recently got a call from the Charlotte elementary school teacher of his daughter, Hannah.
His teacher said he might want to talk to her — 7-year-old Hannah was telling other children at school she didn’t believe in Santa Claus.
Ayerdiz hopes a special gift this Christmas, with the help of the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program, might change her mind. The program matches children in need with anonymous donors who buy them presents for Christmas.
In cases where donors don’t step up, Charlotte Observer readers cover the expense by giving to the Empty Stocking Fund, which the Observer has sponsored since about 1920.
Ayerdiz, 64, used to install commercial AC units in Charlotte. But the physical demands of the job were hard on his body, so he decided last year that it was time to retire.
But the family ran into some financial difficulty when they moved out of a rental home three months ago, where Ayerdiz said he butted heads with a landlord and didn’t receive a security deposit back.
The family was able to find a new home nearby that kept the kids enrolled in the same schools, although rent is now much more expensive.
‘A wonderful program’
It hasn’t been all bad, Ayerdiz said.
The family’s new neighborhood is closer to school, has more families and more nearby parks and other spaces for his children to play in. “The kids are very excited,” he said. “They have a lot of room to play outside.”
That might be why Hannah Sofia asked for a new bike this Christmas, a present she’s hoped for since outgrowing her old one a few years ago.
But money is tight. Even with his wife Juana’s paychecks from her housekeeping job, and Ayerdiz picking up night shifts as a janitor, he said there aren’t any presents under his family’s Christmas tree yet.
Five years ago, Ayerdiz said, he received gifts for his children through the Angel Tree program of the Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte. This year, he decided to apply again.
“For the kids, it’s a wonderful program. They have high expectations, but they don’t think about where the money is coming from to get them presents,” Ayerdiz said. “It’s a good feeling to see them open the gifts.”
Ayerdiz, who came to the United States from Nicaragua almost four decades ago, said he’s adapted Nicaraguan Christmas traditionsfor his three children — Esai, 15, Asael, 11, and Hannah.
Instead of opening gifts on Christmas morning, the children open their presents at midnight on Christmas Eve, after a long dinner with family and friends — one that will likely include the classic Nicaraguan dish “gallina rellena,” or stuffed chicken.
Ayerdiz is hoping a new bicycle will help Hannah get out of the house more to play with her new neighbors — and just maybe change her mind about Santa Claus too.
“We’ll have to find out on that,” Ayerdiz said. “(But) she will be really happy.”
Supporting the Angel Tree program
Last season, Observer readers donated $227,822 to the campaign that helps provide gifts for kids, as well as senior citizens and people with disabilities.
Money raised by the 2021 Empty Stocking Fund campaign allowed The Salvation Army to purchase more than 9,270 toys for this year’s campaign, along with the gift cards for seniors, foster children and adults with disabilities.
The 2022 Angel Tree program is helping 2,610 families in Mecklenburg and Union counties this holiday season, representing 6,660 children, Salvation Army officials said.
And the program is providing gift cards to 1,716 seniors and 436 people with disabilities, according to The Salvation Army.
In 2021, the program served 2,672 families representing 6,804 children. In addition, the program served 1,378 seniors and provided 417 gift cards for foster children and individuals with disabilities.
How to give
To donate online, visit EmptyStockingFundCLT.org. To donate by mail, send checks to: The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, P.O. Box 31128, Charlotte, NC 28231.
Make checks payable to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte and write “Empty Stocking Fund” in the memo line.
Anyone who prefers not to adopt an angel can still buy a gift for one on Walmart Registry. Walmart will box and send the gift to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte.
Questions concerning your donation? Call 704-716-2769.
This story was originally published December 7, 2022 at 5:53 AM.
