Santa Chopper: Santa arrives at the Kingston Hospital by helicopter to visit kids
Leaving Rudolph to get some rest before Christmas, Santa Claus paid a visit to the Kingston General Hospital paediatrics unit using a helicopter on Friday.
In its third year, the event is called “Operation HO HO HO”.
The annual event was done with the help of Canadian Forces members. Santa was picked up in a CH146 Griffon helicopter and taken to the hospital, with the help of several members of CFB Kingston’s helicopter squadron.
Capt. Trevor Hopkins is an organizer. He says stuffed toy bears are purchased with donations collected from military staff to give to the kids.
Hopkins says this year about 30 stuffed bears in all were handed out.
"It can bring a tear to your eyes when the kids see Santa Claus and they get the bear," says Hopkins. "We love it, we want to give back."
Santa Claus visits children at the Kingston General Hospital. (Photo courtesy: Kingston Health Sciences Centre)
Flying from CFB Kingston, Santa flew past the hospital paediatrics unit and waved to the kids, and then landed on the hospital’s helicopter pad, before going inside and giving out the toys.
Christine Leinger of Kingston General Hospital says the kids in the paediatrics unit, ranging from newborns to 17, were thrilled with the visit.
"It was an absolutely amazing," she explains they were cheering his name. "Just to see Santa coming out of the helicopter… it was so lovely."
Leinger says events like this are important, especially close to Christmas and the holidays.
"It’s a really hard time of year to be in hospital, and this really just created a positive experience for them, it really brightens up their day. It got them thinking of Christmas and Santa and it was a really awesome distraction for them today."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.