Britany Sangoquiza, 6 years old, was overjoyed to receive not one, but several gifts full of toys from the NY City Police…she didn’t have enough hands to show us all…
“It seems to me that they are good people and that they are taking care of New York. And the gifts? The gifts too because they give nice gifts,” says Sangoquiza.
That joy was had by hundreds of children from 4 neighborhoods of Queens, it all started at Precinct 112, there Santa arrived accompanied by several assistants, some of them in NYPD uniforms…once in the police sleigh, Santa Claus and even the head of the barracks they threw stuffed animals to the children who were on the sidewalks on this street in forest hills… some couldn’t believe it, and Christmas came early around here… even some adults got excited…
Christine Bastedenbeck is Chief Assistant, NYPD:
“We started holding this event 5 years ago, in Brooklyn and it was the idea of boss Jeff Madrii, the goal is to expand this event to all communities in New York City.”
After the tour full of music and fun, they arrived at the first stop, the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Martyrs, where hundreds of children were waiting.
“It seems good to me because it is my first time in this country and I am happy because they gave me a gift,” says Mateo Antetoquiza, an Ecuadorian boy, happily.
– And what did they give you?
“I don’t know, I’m going to see what they gave me because it’s huge”
Many of the children are immigrants who have recently arrived in New York City. Little Britany and her family crossed the Panamanian jungle on a long and complicated journey.
“Very complicated because we had to go hungry, hungry, but Daddy God has never abandoned us on that path, on this, at that moment that we were traveling, nothing has ever happened to us, he has not stolen anything from us and I thank him very much to Papito Dios. Amen”, Britany Sangoquiza continues saying.
Part of the objective is to bring the uniformed personnel closer to the community.
Alexander Ávila, New York police officer, maintains:
“That’s what we want to do.” “It’s helping them comply with them and creating that connection between us as community police and continuing to grow that…” she adds.
Naomi Gómez, Ecuadorian immigrant
“I think it is very excellent that they are helping low-income children. Very grateful because it is something. Even if it is small, they are going to feel very happy to receive a gift. Thank you very much for this support,” she says.
In the end the children and their parents received a Christmas dinner.
In total, Santa’s sleigh, from the New York City Police, made four stops.
In these Queens communities, for the joy and fun of all the children in Queens.
