{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Operation Santa Claus, a volunteer program of the Alaska National Guard, delivers Santa, presents, book bags and fresh fruit to children in the remote Yup\u0026#39;ik Eskimo village of Kwethluk, Alaska. (Dec. 13)' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c47bd8eafeecae169231' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c47bd8eafeecae169231' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nOperation Santa Claus, a volunteer program of the Alaska National Guard, delivers Santa, presents, book bags and fresh fruit to children in the remote Yup\u0026#39;ik Eskimo village of Kwethluk, Alaska. (Dec. 13)\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eChristmas came early this week to nearly 300 students attending school in the Yup'ik Eskimo village of Kwethluk (KWEETH-luck).   Thanks to the volunteer program coordinated by the Alaska National Guard, Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eChristmas came early this week to nearly 300 students attending school in the Yup'ik Eskimo village of Kwethluk (KWEETH-luck).\u003cbr/\u003e   Thanks to the volunteer program coordinated by the Alaska National Guard, Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted children in the western Alaska community and took pictures with them before helper elves handed out gifts.\u003cbr/\u003e   \"Santa and Mrs. Claus is not something that normally happens out there for them. It's commonplace for us here in Anchorage or the bigger towns to be able to go to the malls and see Santa,\" said Jo Katkus, the chairwoman of Operation Santa Claus, as she and 24 other volunteers waited early Wednesday morning at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to load a military C130 cargo plane for the 300 mile flight.\u003cbr/\u003e   \"For them, it's a real extra treat,\" she said.\u003cbr/\u003e   The fact the visit even happened is a testament to the adaptability of Alaskans, whose flight plans change at any given moment because of weather or mechanical issues. Flying _ oftentimes in bad weather _ is required in Alaska since most of communities are off the state's limited road system.\u003cbr/\u003e   The original plan was to fly the volunteers in the military transport to the western Alaska hub community of Bethel, and then take the National Guard's Blackhawk helicopter the last 12 miles to Kwethluk.\u003cbr/\u003e   But a mechanical issue grounded the helicopter, making it appear the season's second scheduled visit to the Yup'ik community would be a bust. A mechanical failure doomed the earlier planned visit last month.\u003cbr/\u003e   Instead of giving up, 10-year program veteran Dina Banez went to the armory's waiting area and dug out her cell phone. Within minutes, she found a local air taxi company, Grant Aviation, willing to donate a flight to take about a third of the volunteers and gifts to Kwethluk, despite wind gusts of up to 50 mph.\u003cbr/\u003e   This wasn't even the most creative fix she and others have arranged since the program began in 1956.\u003cbr/\u003e   \"We've gone on dog sled from different villages, snowmachines, ATVs, pickup trucks, whatever it is. We adapt and overcome, and it's all to make the kids' Christmas and bring a little joy to them,\" Banez said.\u003cbr/\u003e   Banez and others applauded when the pilot set the small commuter plane down on the small airstrip outside Kwethluk.\u003cbr/\u003e   The visitors arriving in the school multipurpose room, where lunch was just finishing up, created a buzz throughout the school _ not to mention the entire community after an announcement was sent village-wide.\u003cbr/\u003e   \"Not only the kids and the parents came, but we had the elders and a lot of the community members participating, as well,\" said assistant principal Zach Bastoky, who was wearing a green kupsuk, a traditional Alaska Native smock made for him by another instructor.\u003cbr/\u003e   Everyone was excited \"because we hardly get Operation Santa, and it's fun for the kids,\" said senior Alicia Michael, 17.\u003cbr/\u003e   Teachers, some speaking in English, others Yup'ik, paraded their students into to the gym, where photos were taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Some of the smaller children had broad smiles on their faces, other left Santa's lap in tears, but those were dry as they then lined up to receive their gifts.\u003cbr/\u003e   \"They get scared, some of them, the first time seeing him (Santa),\" said parent Roy Michael, adding the program is good not only for children, but families.\u003cbr/\u003e   Students returned to their classroom, only to be replaced by older students. The Salvation Army helped arrange for gifts for all children, up through age 18.\u003cbr/\u003e   Since two-thirds of the volunteers remained in Bethel, plans had to be changed on the fly. After the older kids received their presents, the younger children came back to receive more gifts, this time a new backpack filled with school supplies, a toy, a toothbrush and floss.\u003cbr/\u003e  Long gone are the days when children received bags of candy, and the toothbrushes are intended to promote good dental care in rural Alaska, where there are few dentists.\u003cbr/\u003e   Children were also given a new book, which Banez said is the highlight for many children, and also received an apple and an orange each on the way out of the gym _ a treasure in western Alaska, where fresh fruit is an expensive luxury.\u003cbr/\u003eKwethluk, Alaska - December 11, 2013\u003cbr/\u003e1. Wide of Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving in Kwethluk school gym.\u003cbr/\u003e2. Close of child watching Santa arrive.\u003cbr/\u003e3. Mid of Santa and Mrs. Claus, who tells children to come on up\u003cbr/\u003e4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jo Katkus, chairwoman, Operation Santa Claus, explaining program: \u003cbr/\u003e\"This program, this is our 57th year taking Santa and Mrs. Claus and gifts, holiday cheers, out to the villages , remotes villages in Alaska. It started when one of the villages had a flood and was not able to get gifts and get Santa and Mrs. Claus in there, and so the National Guard,  Alaska National Guard, said they would round up some gifts and get Santa and Mrs. Claus, and we've been doing it ever since.\"\u003cbr/\u003e5. Mid of Santa and Mrs. Claus.\u003cbr/\u003e6. Mid shot of Mrs. Claus getting child onto laps.\u003cbr/\u003e7. Close of Santa, Mrs. Claus and child getting photo taken.\u003cbr/\u003e8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jo Katkus, chairwoman, Operation Santa Claus, explaining program: \u003cbr/\u003e\"Oh my gosh. It's so exciting when they see Santa come off the plane. They were waiting, and here it is, cold and snowy, and the back of the plane opened up, and a little girl just ran all the way to the plane with her arms open to see Santa and Mrs. Claus. They love it.\"\u003cbr/\u003e9. Close of boy\u003cbr/\u003e10. Wide of gifts being distributed to children.\u003cbr/\u003e11. Wide of gifts being distributed.\u003cbr/\u003e12. SOUNDBITE (English) Jo Katkus, chairwoman, Operation Santa Claus, explaining program: \u003cbr/\u003e\"We've been all over. Some of them are so remote. We fly up to one town, and then we'll take a helicopter out and fly where you don't see anything for ever and ever and then all of a sudden, there's a little village out there.\"\u003cbr/\u003e13. Close of children \u003cbr/\u003e14. SOUNDBITE (English) Jo Katkus, chairwoman, Operation Santa Claus, explaining program: \u003cbr/\u003e\"Santa and Mrs. Claus is not something that normally happens out there for them. It's commonplace for us here in Anchorage or the bigger towns to be able to go to the malls and see Santa and for them, it's a real extra treat.\"\u003cbr/\u003e15. Close of gifts being distributed\u003cbr/\u003e16. SOUNDBITE (English) Jo Katkus, chairwoman, Operation Santa Claus, explaining program: \u003cbr/\u003e\"And we can fly for three hours on a plane to go to St. Paul Island or St. George, which is way out by the Aleutian chain. And the weather is very sketchy. So, it's a real treat to be able to get in there and do something for the kids that they might not ever see for the next seven to ten years. It's hard to describe how remote some of the places are.\"\u003cbr/\u003e17. Wide shot of inside of gym, where presentation was held.\u003cbr/\u003e18. 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Yup\u0026#39;ik Eskimo village of Kwethluk, Alaska. (Dec. 13)\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"resource-img img-thumbnail img-responsive z-10 lp-boclips-thumbnail w-full h-full lozad\" alt=\"Operation Santa Claus, a volunteer program of the Alaska National Guard, delivers Santa, presents, book bags and fresh fruit to children in the remote Yup\u0026#39;ik Eskimo village of Kwethluk, Alaska. (Dec. 13)\" title=\"Operation Santa Claus, a volunteer program of the Alaska National Guard, delivers Santa, presents, book bags and fresh fruit to children in the remote Yup\u0026#39;ik Eskimo village of Kwethluk, Alaska. 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