Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-21

=
One thing he knows: joey win not
watch this Christmas slip by as giftleSs and
joyless as the last one did. Times may be hard.
but there will be a touch of Christmas festivity
In Joeys home. The Santa Claus Association
viii see to that.
There was a day some 16 years ago when
such letters as the above slipped into the mall
box in childish faith and high expectation were
o source of genuine heartache to post ONCE ON
Gals and clerks Each Yuletide they came
futtering in by the thousands sometimes be-
grimed and finger marked and bearing varied
addresses: Santa Claus-North Pole-Ice Land
Cloud Land-Toy World-Golden Gate
Heaven. And each little miSStve meant another
addition to the dead letter office and another
stamp of oblivion-unclaimed. In all of the
meticulous United States Postal System there
was no forwarding address available for mail
directed to good old st. Nick.
Today the Santa Claus Association, cele-
brating its fifteenth anniversary is proving 10
each little letter. writer that Santa Claus is q
regular guy who receives his letters in proper
manner.
at an earlier date, but 1t was not incorporated
under the membership laws of the State of
New York until 1915.
It is the only charity Of It's kind in the world.
It is the first charity to cause Investigations to
be made under the "Gluck class system; that
is, to investigate the poor by the medium Of
volunteer workers who are In the same station
Of life. 1t is non-sectarian and non-racial.
The Santa Claus Association does not permit
its name to appear any shipping labels
issued TO donors It permits no public drives
for money. It is open TO the public, to whom it
affords an opportunity once q year to play
Santa Claus direct and to know every dollar
It expends is used for the purpose for which 1t
is raised. It is the only organized charity that
pats the donor in direct touch with the recipient.
THIS is how the wheels go round in the Santa
Claus Association headquarters:
The Postal Department is authorized by
Uncle Sam to turn over to the Santa Claus
Association every letter sent to Santa by what
ever name or to whatever address Upon re-
ceipt Of the letters an investigation is made.
The investigation is to make sure that the home
Is one which might otherwise be overlooked by
st. Nick When the record is complete it Is
attached to the letter and sent to donor who
has signifed his desire to play Santa to some
needy home Thousands Of men and women
find Joy each Christmas In making the wish
Of little child come true. There are some
donors who cannot do the shopping themselves
and send money instead. The Shopping Com
mittee of the s. G. A. takes charge of these
cases, but wherever it Is possible the donor il
urged to assume the entire responsibility of the
Santa Claus role and thereby CLEAN the COM
plete satisfaction and joy involved in the act
Of giving.
~ Last year more than 10000 donors came for
ward to claim Santa Claus letters from the New
York City post offioes. A large number of the
donors are business men, whom the association
calls the best charity experts. In some cases
food clothes, rent and even personal visits are
among the surprises In store for the youngster
who penned the momentous letter informing
Santa of his existence. The donor plays the
Santa Claus role exactly as he chooses, and
that's the Joy Of the 8. O. A. system!
great many donors take interest In the
family after the passing Of the holidays and
many interesting stories are recorded in head
quarters annals In one case thousands m