THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 16, 1994 TAG: 9412150168
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
In keeping with the highest ideals of Christmas giving, a host of people joined hands Saturday to bring holiday joy to 364 children from four Hampton Roads cities.
Kids from Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth gobbled spaghetti, blew up colorful balloons, had their faces painted and joked with the Shriner clowns. And, of course, Santa had a special gift for each one of them.
The youngsters' beaming smiles brought a glow to the faces of the many adults involved in the endeavor, and it was impossible to know who was enjoying themselves more - the givers or the receivers.
The party took place at the Norfolk Spaghetti Warehouse which had, for the third year running, donated the food for the festivities. Restaurant staff volunteered their time.
Kids rolled and slurped close to 100 pounds of spaghetti topped with some 80 gallons of sauce, and mopped up their plates with more than 400 loaves of bread.
Marine Corps volunteers helped law enforcement personnel from the four communities with the formidable logistics of transportation and organization.
The children were selected by the DARE Crime Prevention units of the Norfolk and Chesapeake police departments, the Sheriff's Department of Portsmouth and the Police Athletic League (PALS) of Virginia Beach. The children ranged in age from 4 to 11 and are ones for whom Christmas might otherwise not have been ``the brightest of holidays,'' according to Spaghetti Warehouse Manager Bob Duzey.
The restaurant chain has sponsored holiday parties nationwide for 20 years. Stuart Cake coordinated the event. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by NANCY LEWIS
Phillip Blahut and Portia Bantes dig into dinner at the party for
364 area kids at Spaghetti Warehouse.
Monica Rutledge decorates the face of Alexis Smith of Virginia
Beach.
by CNB