LOS ANGELES – Santa Claus ditched his sleigh and recruited the Los Angeles Police Department Air Support Division to help him deliver gifts to a children’s hospital in the Southland this week.
The LAPD’s SWAT team also helped Santa deliver presents Wednesday to the Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children. The annual charity event, “Toys and Joys,” has been in operation for 31 years, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
The gracious event delivers holiday cheer to more than 25,000 families and welcomes 1,000 children for an interactive day that includes more than toys and gifts, but also fun activities like face painting and arts & crafts, along with refreshments.
To make a spectacular entry at the hospital, Santa sat on the chopper’s landing skid as he soared above the clear skies of Los Angeles, an exhilarating tradition that has been taking place for years.
Upon arrival at the hospital’s rooftop landing pad, a very experienced Santa then repelled down the side of the building before meeting with kids to deliver toys and take pictures, according to FOX 11.
The Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children was founded in 1911 as Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital. The medical facility is the largest pediatric orthopedic hospital on the West Coast focused solely on musculoskeletal conditions in children. Moreover, they generously treat every child regardless of insurance status.