Bridgeport firefighters host dinner and Santa Claus

By AARON LEO
Staff writer Updated: 12/23/2008 11:45:17 PM EST

Bridgeport firefighters host dinner and Santa Claus - Topix

Santa Claus came to seven Luis Munoz Marin School students two days early as firefighters dished out Christmas cheer at the fire station on Bridgeport's Boston Avenue Tuesday night.

Firefighters John Maglione and Rich Norbut made pigs in a blanket, ziti, Swedish meatballs and sausage and peppers for the children's yuletide feast, which the children and their families ate in the firehouse. A firefighter's mother made rice and beans. The families were chosen by Marin social workers.

Santa made his appearance before the meal, riding in a firetruck.

"Has everyone been good little boys and girls?" he said, as he jumped off the truck.

"Hands up, who likes to sing?" he asked, and led the families in a chorus of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

Then St. Nick handed out presents, including an MP3 player and several Razor scooters, bought with funds donated by the Bridgeport Fire Fighters Association Local 834.

Christian Sepulveda, 11, got a Razor, an alternative to his Christmas wish of a mini-motorcycle. "I could jump" with a scooter, he said. "I can do a wheelie."

He also had a favorite food on the menu.

"I have to say, the mini-hotdogs," he said.

He added he didn't know what to expect when he found out he was visiting the station. "My mom wouldn't tell me nothing," he said.

Fifth-grader Zamarie Rivera wanted to wait until Christmas to open her present. "It was nice. I like the food," she said.

Nick Poppa, 14, was also surprised. He got an MP3 player. "It was cool. I didn't expect it," he said.

Keith Purdie, of Stillman Street, brought his daughter, Brianna, 12. The firefighters brightened his Christmas, too, because he recently lost his job. His wife, a Marin volunteer, has several medical problems, but still works at the school, he said.

But Purdie, 45, isn't fazed. He said he survived a 2001 fire that broke out in a rooming house in New Haven where he was staying. He briefly stopped breathing during the fire and both his legs were broken, but he worked his way back to health.

Brianna was born prematurely, but is also healthy. "I took my daughter over here just to be a part of something positive," he said. "I'm staying positive, trying to keep the faith."

Marilyn Perez, a Marin volunteer, said she and Maglione arranged the evening. "We just wanted to meet the neighbors," Maglione said.

Perez was also pleased. "That was really very nice of them. It's nice when they reach out to families."

The Fire Department also reached out to other Bridgeport families with its Firefighter Families program, which brings presents and Christmas dinner to families selected by school social workers and home school coordinators. The program served 22 families this year and has helped 118 families with 450 children since it was started six years ago by Firefighter Roberto "Bo" Diaz, who was inspired by his daughter, Hailey.