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Miracle On 31st Street
Some
say Santa lives at the North Pole, but many children in Tucson know
that he lives near them on West 31st Street. On Christmas Eve, Ramon
Gonzales closes down the street in front of his South Tucson home to
have an annual Christmas gala for his community. Gonzales was a former
sheet metal worker who is now on disability. About 29 years ago, he
threw a Yule fiesta for his children, nieces, nephews and neighborhood
children totaling about 25. He had limited resources, but $125 allowed
him to purchase some trinkets for the children. He spent about 50 cents
per toy, and though they were not expensive, the trinkets meant the
world to the children.
Gonzales has always wanted to give to children and make their lives
better, so he uses this annual party to do just that. The second year
he held the fiesta it grew, and year-by-year it got larger and larger.
Each year he said it was too much and it was going to be his last year,
but he could not stop. He gets great satisfaction seeing the children
happy. This is one day out of the year for him where he can forget about
how tough it is to live with his illness, the bills and limited income.
Gonzales lives in a small stucco home, and initially he cooked hot dogs
in the backyard, but today he gets donations. The community knows about
the annual event and love to lend a helping hand. The party has grown
so that it goes on all day and they have special visitors. There is
mariachi music, radio stations, Santa Claus arrives on the Tucson fire
truck, and a local steakhouse provides food. The cities of Tucson and
South Tucson have many low-income families. Gonzales, though he does
not have much formal education and is disabled, mobilizes the community
and helps the disadvantaged children there. The party has grown so that
children from other communities now participate. Gonzales has recruited
more volunteers because of the growth. They assist him in soliciting
gifts, prepared foods, organize activities and welcoming Santa Claus.
Ramon Gonzales is a man of modest means and has never been paid any
remuneration for the work he does. He wants the children to believe
in the goodness of people and that they are valued by the community.
He has made such an impact that Congressman Ed Pastor entered his praises
for Ramon in the Congressional Record of the United States of America
on October 19, 1999. Though he never expected his Yule fiesta to become
an annual event for his city, his 6,000 children party is now called
the “Miracle on 31st Street.”
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