With lights and sirens, Santa and Mrs. Claus, accompanied by dozens of law enforcement and fire personnel, and members of a charitable foundation, arrived at a home in Yucca Mesa Tuesday afternoon, to help make tomorrow the best Christmas ever for a 12-year-old girl. Abigail Snipes was born with a genetic nerve disorder, in which a tumor has grown so large it now encompasses the whole left side of her neck and upper chest, and is wrapped around her heart and blood vessels. The Debbie Chisholm Memorial Foundation, a law-enforcement charity based in Yucca Valley founded by Corky Weaver in 1994, has granted wishes for 400 seriously ill children at a cost of $1.3 million. The charity sponsored yesterday’s event in which the San Bernardino and Riverside County Sheriff Departments, County Fire Department, and the California Highway Patrol, delivered Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Christmas gifts for Abigail, her sisters Hailey, 14, and Makenna, 4, as well as her parents, Ricky and Angela Snipes. Managing editor Tami Roleff was there as Santa arrived, and files this report…
“I knew right away we wanted to get involved. We do this every year for families that have sick children.” Corky Weaver, the founder of the Debbie Chisholm Memorial Foundation, which organized the Spirit of Christmas give-away to the Snipes family of Yucca Mesa, said the event was a surprise to Abigail. “None of the children knew we were coming. We always make it a surprise for the kids; they kind of think they’re getting nothing for Christmas, because when you have a sick child, it takes all your finances.” Abigail’s mother, Angela, explained how she managed to keep Santa’s visit a surprise for the kids. “We just kept telling her that I was going to have some people coming over. I knew Riverside County was involved. I didn’t know San Bernardino and the Highway Patrol were all going to be here. But it was really awesome, it was a big surprise for me, myself, because I didn’t expect it to be so large.” And among all the presents for Abigail and the rest of her family was another big surprise. “I’m going to Disneyland!” The entire family received tickets to Disneyland, along with a $500 check for $500 for spending money to help make a very sick girl’s Christmas a happy one.
More information about the Debbie Chisholm Memorial Foundation can be found at a link with this story at Z1077fm.com.
http://www.dcmfwishes.org/
