A few thousand more smiles were put on the faces of young children this holiday season after The Santa Claus Christmas Committee helped to deliver more than 2,500 gifts to inner-city children. The toys were donated by The Santa Claus Christmas Committee, a committee started with public donations by the late Sir Etienne Dupuch, Tribune publisher. Up to late yesterday evening, police officers were delivering toys and games to thousands of children living in Farm Road, Fox Hill and Bain and Grants Town.

The initiative is intended to bring smiles and good holiday cheer to disadvantaged children living in the inner-city communities. More than 45,000 children have received gifts over the years through this initiative and 34 homes have been built. Superintendent Stephen Dean, along with Supt Carolyn Bowe and Inspectors Ricardo Richardson and Anthony Rolle, drove through a number of areas yesterday to interact with the children and help to deliver the gifts.

Supt Dean said that even though a number of gifts are given out at Christmas time for children in the inner-city communities, a number of them are left out. He said initiatives like these help to bring smiles to their faces and joy to their hearts. The Tribune spoke to one of the many disadvantaged children who received gifts after Christmas. Trinity Turnquest of Toote Shop Corner is four years old and is bound to a wheelchair because she was born with a birth defect that has impaired her movement.

However, she carries a smile and manners with her wherever she is wheeled or physically carried and her smile grew when Supts Dean and Bowe respectively shook her hand and handed her a gift for Christmas. Trinity’s mother, Daniesha Turnquest, said she was appreciative of The Tribune and The Santa Claus Christmas Committee for the nice gesture. “I’m happy that they did this in case I wasn’t able to get her what she wanted for Christmas. It’s very nice of them and she appreciated it.”

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