Joey Pokorney, 6, was frightened when he heard the sirens of the big green and white fire engine getting closer to his home Sunday.
“He thought there was a fire or something,” said his father, Scott Pokorney, a Boca Raton resident. “When he realized Santa was in the front seat, he got excited.”
The Pokorneys were one of about 100 families who participated in the Boca Raton Fire Department’s annual Christmas fund-raiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida.
The firefighters, who dressed up in their holiday finery, escorted Santa Claus from the North Pole to the homes of the Boca Raton children whose parents had signed up for a visit.
“Their faces just light up,” said firefighter Steve Bradley, who spent several hours Sunday helping Santa deliver presents to the children. “It’s really amazing.”
The visit, which was advertised locally, cost parents $10 and a present, which was later delivered to their children by St. Nick himself.
“It was hot today,” said a tired Santa, who stopped off late Sunday afternoon at Boca’s Station 1 on Federal Highway to get a cold drink before heading home.
City officials donated the use of firetrucks for the event, which began Saturday afternoon.
The event raised $1,000 for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, which grants wishes to children 18 and under who have life-threatening diseases. The average wish costs the group $3,300 for each child, said firefighter Norm Engel, who helped arrange Sunday’s event.
Sunday’s event did not raise as much as last year’s, which brought in about $3,000 for the group, said Engel, who blamed the economy for lack of participation.
“It’s been a pretty bad year for people in general,” he said.
But that did not stop the Pokorney’s, who did not mind paying the fee to be involved in the event. “It was worth it,” said Scott Pokorney. “The kids loved it. I got it all on the camcorder.”
