Miracle in the Barrio Christmas party grows to 3,000 families
Published: December 23, 2005
Three-year-old Jonathan de la Paz struggled with the Scooby-Doo punching bag he hugged to his chest yesterday at the third annual Miracle in the Barrio Christmas party.
The toy was taller than he is. A smudged painting of a shark covered his right cheek.
His dad, Orelio de la Paz, was nearby at El Kora’s hot dog stand, helping to hand out the 3,000 hot dogs donated by Qwest to the party on Sixth Avenue at 36th Street.
El Kora’s, at Bilby Road and Sixth Avenue, was one of a handful of local merchants who helped make the party the biggest ever.
Jon Volpe, CEO of Nova Home Loans, said he started Miracle in the Barrio after the South Side’s Miracle on 31st Street party was moved to Marana a few years ago by its founder, who moved there from South Tucson and took that party with him. (It’s back now, at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds, at 10 a.m. tomorrow.)
Volpe already had his eye on the South Side, he said yesterday, as he handed out free food tickets to the thousands of Hispanic families snaking around the party site at the Food City Shopping Center on South Sixth Avenue.
“We wanted to help more Hispanics get into their first home,” he said, so he brought his North Side business to them, opening a mortgage lending office at Ajo Way and 16th Avenue. Steve Nuñez, his business development coordinator for the area, helped ease the way.
Volpe wanted to be a good neighbor, he said.
When he heard the Miracle on 31st Street party had been moved to Marana, he jumped into the effort to bring toys to kids who might otherwise get little for Christmas. [Random Acts of Kindness]
Yesterday, he closed his offices so his mortgage brokers and loan processors could volunteer for party duty.
All the Volpes pitched in.
Volpe’s wife, Heather, helped hand out the hot dogs while Trevor, 6, and Kaylie, 9, learned a little about community service by watching their parents.
Mario Celis, host of an oldies show and promotions manager for Spanish-language radio station 1030 AM, played children’s Christmas songs and cheered on the children and grown-ups waiting for up to an hour in the warm sun for their turn with Santa.
Face painters drew colorful characters on the children, and another group of volunteers handed out balloons.
Three years ago, the party served about 700 children. Yesterday, more than 3,000 families showed up after hearing about it on Spanish-language radio and television.
Area businesses, including Nova Home Loans, donated the hundreds of new toys, sorted by age group and gender, and Food City donated 300 food baskets to families who asked for help with their Christmas meal. Food City’s promotions manager, Camilla Diaz, said the company’s Spirit of Sharing program provided the food.
Volpe said that even though the Miracle on 31st party is back on the South Side, Miracle in the Barrio will be back next year.
These kids, he said, can use all the Christmas toys they can get.
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