For over 20 years, PATCHEN, in cooperation with a large real estate firm, has hosted the entire 2nd grade class of a local school for a Holiday outing in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It begins with 200 or more kids bouncing like ping-pong balls from huge yellow buses and heading straight for the cookies and milk. The hosts then take them up the mountain in search of perfect Christmas trees.
Over the next two hours, these kids learn to cut down trees, plant seedlings in cans to take home, and hear stories about the ghost town of PATCHEN and how “Mountain Charlie” almost his life to a Grizzly Bear.
They are predominantly from low-income families and most have never been out of the city before, so this experience will stay with them for a lifetime. Santa arrives with candy canes and their eyes get as big as saucers. Then we all sing Christmas carols together.
With kids back on the buses, we pack up truckloads of Christmas trees, donated by PATCHEN for families in need. Local businesses often donate refreshments and even the trucks that deliver the trees.
In Beck’s words, “this is one of those events where the adults have more fun than the kids; it is a real treat to have them back year after year.”
Our history of hosting events like this one has been temporarily interrupted and we are seeking partners to continue the tradition.