Insurance firm celebrates Christmas by catering to needy
Saturday will be the “craziest,” but one of the most rewarding days of the year for employees of a Monroeville insurance company who have made sharing Christmas with needy children in Fayette County a tradition. Employees of Three Rivers Health Plan of Monroeville will dress in Santa, Mrs. Claus and elf suits, and give new toys purchased by the company and clothes they donated to families from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Uniontown Firemen’s Social Hall.
This will be the insurer’s sixth annual Christmas party in Uniontown. The goal is to give gifts to children whose families might not be able to afford any other presents, Three Rivers Vice President Jennifer Kessler said.
About 1,000 kids and adults attended last year’s party in the social hall.
“It’s the craziest day of our year, but we love every minute of it,” Kessler said. “It’s a great day. It’s a lot of fun.”
When Three Rivers Health Plan first got into the business of administering the MedPLUS state health insurance programs for needy adults and the Children’s Health Care Program (CHIP) in 1996, one of its highest concentrations of clients was in Fayette County, she said.
That trend continues today and Kessler said the Christmas party is a fun and educational way to give something back to one of the communities the company serves.
Three Rivers will also offer free blood pressure screening, a “tooth booth” that shows kids the proper way to brush their teeth and information on child immunizations.
“We try to make it a day of fun, but we also try to make it educational,” Kessler said.
“They go all out,” Uniontown Fire Department Capt. Chuck Coldren said. “It’s nice for the people that really need it. It’s a nice service to do for free.”
The fire department will deliver Santa to hall on a fire truck.
Some of the 75 employees who volunteer for the party will play Santa, Mrs. Claus and a team of elves, while others will serve as face painting artists and craft making assistants. A contingent will decorate and prepare the hall Friday.
“There’s a line all day long to see Santa. For some kids, this might be their only gift,” Kessler said. “Bring your Kleenex, it melts your heart. It’s a good reminder of what the holidays are all about and gives us a chance to give back to the community we serve.”
All children 13 and under will receive a present from Santa.
Employees donate used clothes and some toys, and separate the items by size and gender. They spend a lot of time preparing for the party, work hard during the event and then clean up afterwards, she said.
“It takes a lot of people to pull this off,” Kessler said. “Seventy to 75 of our workers volunteer and make it a special day for the kids.”