AURORA, Ill., Dec. 14, 2020 — Aurora-area deaf and hearing impaired kids were treated to a drive-thru visit from Santa and Christmas gifts Saturday, Dec. 12.

Aurora Noon Lions Club members hosted the event in the parking lot at Luigi’s Pizza and Fun Center in Aurora. Bill Poss of Aurora, Luigi’s owner, is a Noon Lion.

Arvid Meyer of Aurora, Noon Lions president, said about 60 children from 30 Aurora-area families in East and West Aurora school districts participated. Gifts included stuffed bears, toys, games, clothing and “A Family Christmas,” a hard-cover book by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of late President John F. Kennedy. Noon Lion Barb Javaras of Aurora donated the books.

Also, the club donated $10 gift cards from Luigi’s Pizza and west Aurora Jewel-Osco gave a monetary donation that provided candy for gift bags Meyer said. Lions volunteers gathered at Luigi’s to assemble bags before the event.

Noon Lions past president Dick Schindel of Aurora donned a Santa suit to greet families and hand out gifts. Schindel replaced Dan Basalone of Lisle, a hearing-impaired Santa who used American Sign Language to talk with students at a Lions pizza dinner and gift giveaway at Luigi’s for the past eight years.

Joining a half dozen Lions volunteers were professionals who work with hearing-impaired students. They were Jeanne McDonald, Allen Elementary School, East Aurora School District 131; Carrie and Tim Snyder, East Aurora High School; and Kathy Reuter, supervisor of hearing services for Northwestern Illinois Association, a Sycamore-based special education cooperative.

Due to the pandemic, the drive-thru replaced a 10^th annual in-person holiday pizza dinner and visit from the sign-language Santa.

Noon Lion Poss told a reporter, “The interaction with the hearing-impaired Santa was certainly one of the highlights and things are being kept a lot more simple this year. The kids need some Christmas spirit and something to look forward to.”

Founded in 1922, Aurora Noon Lions Club meets on the first and third Mondays online on Zoom since March due to the pandemic. Prospective members are welcome. Call (630) 892-8045 for more information.

With the motto “We Serve,” Lions volunteers focus on supporting causes including hearing and vision impairment, hunger, the environment, childhood cancer and  diabetes.

Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world. Some 1.42 million members in more than 48,000 clubs serve in over 200 countries and geographic areas worldwide.

Since 1917, Lions have strengthened local communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects and extend service impact through the Lions Clubs International Foundation. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit lionsclubs.org.

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Al Benson

Freelance Photo-Journalist

Al Benson is an Aurora-based freelance photo-journalist. He is currently an archives research specialist at Aurora University. His work has appeared in The Voice, The Daily Herald, The Beacon-News, and the Chicago Tribune.