Bringing the North Pole to Manatee County
This time of year is all about spending time with family and creating memories of happiness and love, so we thought it would be the perfect time to share a heartwarming story of Christmas joy from right here in our home state of Florida!
Every year, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office hosts their Flight to the North Pole celebration at the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport Fire Station. The event is funded entirely by donations and is run by volunteers from the Sheriff’s Office, the fire department and the local community. Thanks to their combined efforts, children suffering from terminal illness are able to experience a memorable Christmas with their families.
Sidney Ettedgui, the lead organizer of the event each year, says that their mission is focused on providing joy to the brave and incredible children who could be celebrating their last Christmas. They want to create a place for them and their families to forget about life’s worries and enjoy some holiday magic. There is food, music, games and real-life snow, and Santa soars over the crowd in the sheriff office’s helicopter before landing and greeting all of the children. The entire Sarasota/Bradenton Airport Fire Station is transformed into Santa’s workshop, and the children are invited in to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Claus and receive a special gift from their Christmas list.
This year’s Flight to the North Pole took place just a few weeks ago on December 13th, 2018. For Ettedgui, it takes a full year of organizing, fundraising and preparing, but the end result is worth every minute. In an interview with the Bradenton Herald, Ettedgui said, “the smiles and looks on their faces, that’s my payoff, that’s my reward.”
A Year-Long Christmas Tradition
Just as the Flight to the North Pole celebration is an annual tradition for Ettedgui and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, so is ordering a new set of custom challenge coins. We are honored to get the call to create new designs representing the organization’s mission and efforts. Ettedgui works year-round, fundraising and promoting, to ensure that he and the Sheriff’s Office can host another Flight to the North Pole celebration, and the challenge coins we create are a part of that plan each year.
For this year’s celebration, fundraising started all the way back in February with the Lakewood Ranch Exotic Car Festival. The public was invited to drop in on a Saturday afternoon to enjoy food, music and over 100 exotic cars on display. Once everything was said and done, they had raised $6,000! Ettedgui and his team helped organize more car shows to help raise funds over the course of the year as well as events like Suds for Santa car washes and even a Super American Circus performance with partial proceeds going towards to Flight to the North Pole organization.
The culmination of all these efforts is the actual Flight to the North Pole event. The challenge coins we create are used to spread the word, raise money and get people involved. They don’t just represent a once a year holiday event hosted by the Sheriff’s Office. For the families and the children who attend the actual event, they represent an incredible piece of Christmas joy. For the volunteers and supporters, they are a symbol of sharing love and happiness with the people who need it most. And for the organizers like Ettedgui, they represent a year’s hard work and feeling of making a difference in the lives of children in need.
We are humbled and honored by the fact that our products are used in such an incredible cause. If you want to learn more about the event or show your support, you can check out the organization’s website, flighttothenorthpole.org.
Finding New Ways to Spread Love and Holiday Joy
The Flight to the North Pole event was started more than 30 years ago by a small group of Eastern Airline flight attendants. All they wanted to do was create a special experience for children in need and their families. Christmas is a time for everyone to experience love and happiness, especially the sick and suffering children of the world. Today, one simple act of kindness from a small group of flight attendants lives on and changes the lives of hundreds of children each year.
The Flight to the North Pole challenge coins are a small part of that tradition. They are a representation of how we can make a difference in someone’s life through love and joy. Custom coins are personal and meaningful gifts that can have a strong impact on someone’s life. We make holiday coins and Christmas ornaments that each have a distinct personality and unique story. Each one is used to spread a little holiday magic and to share love and support to the people in our lives that matter most.
If you are looking for a meaningful gift for your family or friends next holiday season, let us know, and we can help make something special for all to share. In the meantime, we will be here for all of your custom challenge coin needs throughout the year. Merry Christmas from all of our family to yours, and have a happy new year!
