Train Ride Takes Sick And Disabled Florida Children To The North Pole For Festive Holiday Fun

The holidays are a time to create lasting memories with family. For parents of terminally ill children, those memories are especially important because it may be their last holiday season spent together as a family. One Florida nonprofit is doing all it can to make the holidays special for families battling illness this holiday season.

Since 1985, Flight to the North Pole has created a day of magical wonder and joy for children with illness and disability. Partnering with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office and the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport Fire Department, the nonprofit pulls out all the stops to create one day of all-out festive fun for those who deserve it most.

Every year, children with terminal illnesses or disabilities and their families board the North Pole Express at the Florida Railroad Museum on a whirlwind journey to meet Santa and his elves. Once they arrive, there is more magic in store. Families enjoy festive treats, rides, face painting, and balloon animals and even get the chance to visit with Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Each family is sent home with more than $150 in gift cards to help purchase Christmas gifts and keep the joy going throughout the holiday season.

The President of Flight to the North Pole, Sidney Ettedgui, said the program started when he partnered with flight attendants and pilots from Eastern Airlines and Continental Airlines to take kids on a plane ride to see Santa. After 9/11, he started bringing Santa to the children by having a helicopter pilot fly Santa to the Airport Fire Station. During restrictions due to COVID-19, the organization switched to a smaller event with a train ride. Ettedgui said if all goes well, he hopes to bring the original blowout event back after no longer needing to consider pandemic restrictions.

"I still have cards that I receive every year from the parents [saying] that the kids cannot wait until the next event," Ettedgui told Southern Living. "[They ask], 'When is the North Pole? When is the North Pole?' And when they arrive, just their expression, their faces, their eyes—it's worth every bit of it."

The event is made possible entirely through donations, sponsorships, and fundraising. To donate, find more information here.

Initiatives like Flight to the North Pole are the real reason for the holiday season!