About Us
The Beginnings
In the third year of mall work, our founder, Pete Vanderpool, met a well-meaning parent who chastised Santa for several minutes regarding child safety issues. Unable to disagree with her, Santa pondered her message with an eye to making a difference. It has often been said that one person can make a difference, and so the concept of The Santa Project was begun.
At first, we didn’t call it The Santa Project. It was just one Santa talking to kids about the dangers they might encounter during the busy Holiday Season at year-end. Eventually, we became a not-for-profit corporation and had an indepth background check run on our Executive Director, Pete, who was the one in contact with the children. Many Head Start groups, kindergartens, and up to fifth grade students have heard our story. Teachers and principals alike have been shocked at children’s response to the question, "Is Santa a stranger". If only the chastiser knew how accurate and far-reaching her message was. Or maybe she did! It’s the rest of us who aren’t aware!
The program has been refined over the last fifteen years. The most recent refinement puts it into schools year round, with phenomenal success. It has also been expanded to include the most recent advances in technology which pose serious and far reaching threats to our children.
Now we are looking for adults to join us in spreading this message throughout the land. Educators, parents and child-care people can help. Contact us now.
