Santa Claus and his helpers in the Bluegrass Santas make a special trip to Carroll County every year to prepare for Christmas.
This year, CCMS social worker Brandi McIntyre got to meet with them.
They met on September 9, which is three days before McIntyre’s birthday. “This was the best birthday ever,” she said with a big smile. “It was the best thing that’s happened to me all year. They gave me a lot of Christmas spirit.”
Brandi’s mom, Alice Marsh, was working at the Carroll County Tourism booth at the Kentucky State Fair this summer when Santa Tom spotted her. Santa Tom introduced himself and said the Bluegrass Santas would be meeting at Gen. Butler State Park and would like to talk to a social worker about the signs of neglect, abuse and human trafficking.
Of course, the first person Marsh thought of her was her daughter, Brandi.
“Mom gave Santa my number and right after school started he called me and said this was Santa Tom,” McIntyre said. “I thought, now I’m intrigued.” After all, it’s not every day one of Santa’s helpers calls you.
Santa Tom said he and his fellow Bluegrass Santas are booked nearly every weekend from October through December so they encounter a lot of children.
“One of the things we didn’t know about is what’s our responsibility and the signs for abuse,” Santa Tom said. “It was eye-opening for us. I think we all picked up something from it.”
The group was given a PowerPoint presentation by McIntyre and two other social workers from the Cabinet for Families and Children. “I thought how privileged I was to talk to so many people about something I’m so passionate about,” McIntyre added.
A group of 30 Santas participated in the training at Butler. Santa Tom said Bluegrass Santas started as a local group in Louisville, but it has grown to a statewide organization with over 200 members. Their goal is to exude professionalism and portray Santa to the best of their ability. Santa Tom, who is 71 years old, has been in the business for 28 years.
“It’s fun. An adult saw me and said you remind me of Santa Claus from my childhood,” Santa Tom recalled. “Santa always gave me joy and I feel we still do that. We provide hope for a child and sometimes the only encouraging words they may hear.”
You can find more information on Bluegrass Santas at https://www.bluegrasssantas.com/ and about Santa Tom at https://santalouisville.com/.
