For a good Claus

Twenty six Santa Clauses came to town on Thursday night. They delivered toys, smiles and happiness to 300 families and more than 1,000 children in the city of Cape Girardeau as part of the Cape Jaycee's Toybox Campaign.

They are regular people with everyday lives, but for one night a year, these 26 volunteers get to be every kid's favorite house guest.

Ryan Frenz is one of those guests who has played Santa for four years, and he said the experience is rewarding. Besides being a member of the Cape Jaycees, he said the way young faces light up when they find Santa Claus waiting for them with a big bag of gifts is what keeps him coming back year after year.

The volunteers meet at their warehouse on the night of delivery to get dressed as Santa and go over safety rules, Frenz said. Then they load up in vans donated by Cape Auto Pool and take off on strategically mapped routes.

Co-chairperson for the Toybox Campaign Amber Walker said the delivery itself is ultra efficient thanks to years of volunteer experience and expertise mapping the routes.

Steven Luttrell has his wife Amy Luttrell help him with his Santa outfit before the Jaycee Toybox delivery on Thursday in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker

Once they are on the road, the real work begins. Volunteer and former Santa Claus Tim Schmitt said the driver and shotgun rider worry about navigation while the volunteers in the back organize the gifts and help Santa memorize the children's names.

This was true for volunteers Taylor Carter and Zach Arnold who shared a van with first-time Santa Charlie Wirtle. It being only his second year as a member of the Jaycee's, Wirtle had volunteered with Toybox the year before but hadn't yet been a Santa. It was a role he wasn't expecting to fill when he showed up for delivery on Thursday night.

"I kinda got conned into it," Wirtle said. "But it's all good, we've had some good [deliveries] so far."

Charlie Wirtle as Santa deliveries presents to kids during the Jaycee Toybox delivery on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker ~ Southeast Missourian

With each new stop on his route, Wirtle became increasingly concerned with learning the kids' names and picking out one special present to have waiting for them when they opened the door.

Nick Steimle is another veteran Santa Claus who takes very seriously the importance of making the experience real for the kids.

"I walk in and say, 'You must be Evan,' and their faces just light up," Steimle said. "I try to make it as real as possible for them."

Charlie Wirtle as Santa grabs a sack of presents to deliver to kids during the Jaycee Toybox delivery on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016, in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker ~ Southeast Missourian

After several years of being Santa, Schmitt said he wasn't dressed up as Santa this year in fear that he would spoil the fun for kids. He's a school teacher in Cape Girardeau and didn't want to risk one of the children recognizing him from school.

Even so, Schmitt said it was important to him still to be a volunteer on delivery night.

"It's such a special night for the kids to see Santa. And while I'm not dressed up as him this year, just seeing the kids faces when they see Santa is worth it," Schmitt said.

Santa's get ready to delivery presents to kids during the Jaycee Toybox delivery on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017, in Cape Girardeau.Andrew J. Whitaker ~ Southeast Missourian

Families who need extra help providing gifts to their children on Christmas fill out applications at the Salvation Army to be part of the Toybox Campaign, Walker said. She added that volunteers contact the parents of these families in advance so they know to be expecting Santa on delivery night.

The parents usually step back and let the kids answer the door, Schmitt said. He added that the parents are usually very thankful for their visit and often ask to take a picture of the kids with Santa.

Frenz, Schmitt and Steimle all agreed that the best moment for them during delivery is seeing the faces of the children they serve light up when they see Santa Claus.

After bringing gifts to a family who was being faced with upcoming eviction from their home, Wirtle said he was particularly touched by the joy of the family's young daughter.

"I'm having a little girl in March so it was just really sweet to see her so excited," Wirtle said.

For Walker, seeing the whole operation come together is what gives her the most joy.

"It's just being a part of something bigger than yourself," Walker said. "I've just always had that mentality of having a servant heart and giving back to your community."

While the ToyBox Campaign gives kids a Christmas to remember, it couldn't be done without the help of other organizations with a similar mission.

Toys for Tots Foundation is a United States Marine Corps Reserve program that -- in the Southeast Missouri area -- delivers gifts to four counties: Cape Girardeau County, Stoddard County, Scott County and Bollinger County.

The organization consistently donates extra toys to the Toybox Campaign to ensure all children in the city of Cape Girardeau are able to receive gifts for Christmas.

Angela Bollwerk is the coordinator of Toys for Tots, and she said the organization understands the importance of giving back to the same community that supported it.

"We collect donations from Cape city people, so we want to give back to these people's kids," Bollwerk said.

The annual Happy Slapowitz Toybash in downtown Cape Girardeau raised more than 3,800 toys in just one night and donated those toys to Toys for Tots.

Slapowitz founder Ryan Eftink said he has always felt a real need for this kind of service in the community and is glad to be able to help.

"I love doing it, I love helping out kids, especially who can't help themselves," Eftink said. "That's our future, is our kids."

For many families across the county, donations from organizations that provide families with gifts to put under the tree are the only way their kids know Christmas. But to help kids know a happy Christmas at all is a blessing these volunteers take to heart.

"They can't help the situation they were born into, and I want to help," Eftink said.