German "Santa Claus" - Soldiers in a Szczecin Children’s Home.
The eager expectation was written all over the faces of the forty children living in Szczecin’s Children’s Home No 1, when they welcomed a delegation of German soldiers on the evening of December 5th.
Good Tradition
All of the Germans are members of Multinational Corps Northeast in the Polish city of Szczecin, right adjacent to the border at the Odra River. The children know them well, given the active mutual partnership that has been existing since 1999, the year when the Corps was founded. Common events take place several times a year.
So, one of those took place on that evening, the eve of St. Nicholas Day that makes the hearts of Polish kids swell as well. After a good dinner – the kids’ wish had been “pizza galore” – Santa Claus arrived in deed, in the person of a soldier in disguise. As a matter of fact, each child and the home’s child minders as well received a small gift from the Nicholas-soldier.
Additional Surprise
There was another surprise waiting in the gift bag filled to bursting, though. Accompanied by loud cheering of the kids, Lieutenant Colonel Fred Spelly, on behalf of the Germans in the Szczecin-based Corps, presented a financial donation for further projects to the head of the children’s home, Mrs Urszula Sarniak-Filipowska. “We will certainly spend a part of the money to make Christmas still a little bit nicer for the kids”, the head of the children’s’ home said, pleased about the gift like the children.
Expenses for the St. Nicholas evening were covered using charity contributions of the over seventy German soldiers in Multinational Corps Northeast. The basis for the additional donation came from Brunssum in the Netherlands, where Brigitte Ramms, wife of the NATO-Commander, had collected the money for the kids. A German general officer, her husband, Egan Ramms, had been commander of the Szczecin-based Multinational Corps until the end of last year.
So, the head of the children’s home addressed her words of thanks to all donors for the successful event. “Many thanks to all of you and merry Christmas.” At the end of the evening, though, the kids found it very hard to let their guests leave. Heartfelt hugs and waving accompanied them. They had once more succeeded in making the kids beam with joy.
