Fifty Years of Magic: ‘Santa House’ Continues to Impress with Dazzling Fundraiser

By Jessie Eden, Owner of Living Magazines

There is a sort of magic this time of year and the magic of a certain special school fundraiser, lovingly created by parents of Moyer Elementary students, has continued to dazzle multiple generations of Fort Thomas families. That fundraiser, with literally fifty-years under its black, ‘ole’ Kris Kringle’-type belt, is called “Santa House”.

As many know, each elementary school in Fort Thomas has its own fundraiser to help raise funds for special projects at each school.

Woodfill Elementary has “Big Top”, a carnival-themed festival combined with a spaghetti dinner in September. Johnson Elementary has its “Hullabaloo” festival in October, and Moyer Elementary has the “Santa House” fundraiser in November as a cheerful way to welcome the start of the holiday season each year.

This year, Fort Thomas Living spoke with organizers to learn more about the long legacy of “Santa House” and the impact it has had on the community.

Santa House, circa 1975

In 1975, a group of parents came together to organize a fundraiser for their children that was also a fun way to make memories and engage with the community.

“It’s really special. They (Founders of Santa House) used to build an entire castle for Santa and they did such a good job. Every school has their fundraiser and it’s just such a fun way to fundraise,” said Lelia Wendel, Co-Chair of this year’s event. “Every dollar goes towards funding programs at each school.This year is particularly exciting because we are fundraising to make improvements to our playgroup to make it more inclusive. Moyer hosts the district’s preschool and we want to make sure that all students can access the playground.”

The event this year raised an impressive $111,000 and attracted hundreds of people. The event this year took place on November 8th and featured some returning attractions like the Mistletoe Market which features handmade items by parents as well as horsedrawn carriage rides.

Attendees enjoyed Belladance’s ballerinas in full costumes from The Nutcracker, a booth full of books from Blue Marble Books, and of course, no experience is complete without breakfast with Santa.

The kids were also able to get their holiday shopping wrapped up – literally – with a trip to the Christmas Gift Shop and some assistance from the 5th graders who had been looking forward to this particular role for quite some time.

“The 5th graders dress up as elves and take the kids shopping for Christmas gifts which are then wrapped by parents and volunteers so it’s a surprise on Christmas morning for parents too. It’s so cute to see what the kid picks out,” said Wendel. “My personal favorite gift I received last year was a coffee mug that said ‘I love clogging’…I’ve never done clogging but it makes me laugh every time I use it!”

With a bouncy house, snow machine, Reindeer Games (carnival-style games) and Comet’s Craft area, it is apparent that the organizers go to great lengths to round out activities for everyone… even a space for younger siblings called ‘Prancers Playroom’. There was a chance to win big with all kinds of prizes, including two ‘Pop-A-Shots’ where the two highest scores got to take the game itself!

It Takes a (Santa) Village

As time went by and the previous chairs of Santa House moved on, Wendel, along with Co-Chairs Summer Balser and Kendal Fields, got to work on planning another magical fundraising event for the community. When asked how Wendel became Co-Chair, it was a multi-year process. “My son started at Moyer and some other parents knew I was a craft person and I like to host parties so they asked me to be involved. I did the ‘Comets Crafts’ area for a few years,” said Wendel. “It’s just so sweet because the middle schoolers and high schools come back to help the little ones.”

An event like this with this level of magic doesn’t just happen overnight. In the words of Wendel, it takes a ‘ba-jillion’ people to make this happen…and that ranges from elementary school kids all the way up to grandparents volunteering at the event they helped to create, decades earlier.

Local businesses step up to help as well. This year, more than 55 businesses sponsored the event in a variety of ways, from monetary donations to providing physical items to the event. “Exquisite Coffee donated coffee, Fort Thomas Coffee donated hot cocoa, Balloon Bombed and Joyful Twine donated balloons, LED Marquee donated the marquee letters, Cincy Sips Mobile Bar donated the hot cocoa bar, Archive Collective donated the photo booth. Lots of donations!” Hunt Brother’s Pizza even brought its food truck and donated 100% of the proceeds back to Moyer. This along with family sponsorships helped the fundraiser reach its goal. A full list of all the Santa House sponsors can be viewed at https://moyerpto.membershiptoolkit.com/story/480448

This tradition of leadership spans multiple generations. It is hard work to create an experience that surprises and delights the families in attendance. “We LIVE for that morning when the kids walk in and we’ve created a completely different atmosphere for them. We have a woman that lines up all the ‘Elf on a Shelf’ displays in the hallways and the kids love it.”

“We’ve had big shoes to fill but thankfully, under the guidance of Peter Winkler, the pressure to make money has become secondary. Peter wanted this to be fun, an equitable experience ($20 per person) and experience-forward. This is everyone’s tradition and it takes hundreds of parents to make it happen.”