Photos by Kenny Ingle (KennyIngle.com)
by Ralph DoyleOver 1,200 Santas, representing just about ever segment of the Beach Cities community, paraded from the Hermosa Beach Pier to the Manhattan Beach Pier and back Saturday morning, December 14.
The occasion was the 6th, and largest ever Great California Santa Stroll. The stroll met its goal of $175,000 for Mychal’s Learning Place, which teaches self-sufficiency skills to the developmentally disabled. Its students operate Mychal’s Print and Embroidery, Michal’s Bakery and Mychal’s Cafe, all on Artesia Boulevard in North Redondo Beach.
Mychal’s Bakery made the cookies
and coffee distributed to the strollers. Mychal’s Printing and Embroidery silkscreened the shirts given to the kid strollers. Adult strollers received full Santa outfits with their registration fee.
The Guinness World Record for the largest number of Santa Clauses in one place was set in 2014 when 18,112 Santas gathered in Thrissur, India to raise funds for the poor.
Santa Stroll participants included the King’s mascot, Bailey, the Ram’s mascot, Rampage, Neptunians, Manhattan Kiwanis, representatives from Kinecta, South Bay Ford, and Air New Zealand, and hundreds of local families
The three top fundraisers were Kinecta, Team Air New Zealand, and the Valenzuela family team.
Michal’s place was founded by Ed Lynch, following the death of his developmentally disabled, five-year-old daughter, Mychal, in 1996.
“Our goal,” Lynch told the Santas, “is to provide quality programs so our clients can move on to living quality lives.”
For more about Mychal’s Learning Place, visit Mychals.org. ER
