Reviewed by: Cindy Hatcher
Santa brings big smiles to kids in the hospital—how this local team does it
Reading time: 4 minutes
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This time of year is magical, especially for kiddos who make their lists for Santa and count down the days until presents pop up under their Christmas trees. But a sad reality is that a lot of kids are sick during this time, and are either spending the holidays in the hospital or can’t get out to experience Christmas fun.
To help bring a little bit of the holiday cheer for these kids, Children’s of Alabama brings it to them!
Keep reading for an inside look at their TeleSanta program and how this team brings smiles to every room.
TeleSanta brings Christmas cheer to patients’ hospital rooms
In 2017, the Instructional Systems and Technology team at Children’s of Alabama wanted to bring joy to children who couldn’t physically get out to see Santa Claus.
So, putting their IT brains to work, the team put together a studio with lights, green screens and Zoom, and “elves” visited each room to help patients get on a call with Santa.
How do they know which rooms to visit? Here’s how it works:
- Patient fills out a custom TeleSanta webpage
- A unique Zoom meeting invite is sent to the patient
- Santa joins the meeting + talks with patients about their hobbies, family, school…anything!
When it started in 2017, TeleSanta was reaching around 30 patients. Now, it runs over the course of two days and Santa virtually visits 80 patients!
As part of the genius team that runs the show, we talked to William Weaver, an Instructional Systems Technologist, to learn a little more about pulling off this magic.
“It started out as mostly an IT project, but in 2021, it became a close partnership between IT and Child Life and Education. They help us get the patients registered, and do a lot of running around to make sure patients are available. They really help make sure no patients get left out.”
William Weaver, Instructional Systems Technologist II, Children’s of Alabama
Fun fact: William also voices an animated elf named…you guessed it…William the Elf.
How do the kids react to meeting Santa?
As simple as virtual visits from Santa seem, they bring an immense amount of joy to patients, their families and even the teams that put it on.
“One time, this little girl started asking questions like ‘How do you visit everyone in one night?’ ‘Where are your reindeer?’ ‘Can I see Rudolph?’ or ‘What are the elves doing?’
From that meeting, we developed ‘Live Cams’ of the reindeer, and a personal cam for Rudolph.”
William Weaver, Instructional Systems Technologist II, Children’s of Alabama
This is countered by the harsh reality some of these families face. But even through those instances, the joy it brings can’t be denied.
“Even with heartbreaking stories, we see the kids laugh and smile, and everything is right in the world for them (and for us) for those few minutes.”
William Weaver, Instructional Systems Technologist II, Children’s of Alabama
Children’s of Alabama brings ‘home’ to families during the holidays
One thing William kept saying was how special this tradition was to him. Sure, it lets kids in the hospital meet Santa and read their Christmas wish lists, but it also helps everyone else escape the uncertainty of their situation—kids, families and hospital staff alike.
“I’m happy that I get to be a part of something special. The stories we hear from each patient make everything worthwhile, and it’s something I look forward to every year.
Every year comes with different patients and needs, but something that never changes is how special this event is.”
William Weaver, Instructional Systems Technologist II, Children’s of Alabama
Learn more about what makes Children’s of Alabama so special.
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