For the second year, we are trying to bring holiday joy to families who have difficulties finding it. The day following Thanksgiving of 2015, I read an article about an NYPD police officer named Dave Siev. After responding to a call for a young girl who was badly scalded a few days before Christmas, who was then
Sergeant Siev of the 67th Precinct in Brooklyn personally raised money with other offi
cers in the precinct to
purchase Christmas gifts for this little girl and her siblings. He and fellow officers delivered those toys to her and her family on Christmas Day. He repeated this tradition year after year, collecting donations from other officers and from the community, and then delivering the toys to needy families on Christmas Day. He never asked for anything in return, he simply went above-and-beyond the line of duty, and to put simply… became a Santa in Blue. He wrote a book about his efforts, titled Operation: Blue Christmas. He describes it as “an instruction manual for anyone that wants to do anything like this.”
After reading that article and then reading the book, not only was I inspired, but it reminded me of my late mother, Roseann Nastasi. There were two things that my mother looked forward to every year: the Mt. When it came to Christmas, nothing could stop her from making it a truly special time for my four sisters and me. No matter the financial troubles or whatever other roadblocks might be in the way, she made sure there were plenty of gifts for each of us under the tree each year. It was just so important to her. It was probably more important to her than it was for us. We lost our
mother to cancer in February of 2001. In memory of her and all she has done for us, I am excited to hold this second annual event. This is something she would have stood behind proudly, and I am beyond happy to carry on this tradition in her name. Over 200 people attended last year’s event with only 3 weeks of
planning, and hundreds of toys were collected for families that were in desperate need of a Christmas
miracle. The NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association has grabbed the torch from who is now Lt. Dave Siev and continues his tradition of spreading holiday joy to those children who are less fortunate. They’ve expanded Operation: Blue Christmas throughout the city, and every year collect as many toys a possible for those
families in need. The program has expanded even further throughout the country, with departments all over the United States putting together their own Operation: Blue Christmas. We are here to help this wonderful cause. Movie Time Cars, teamed up with Brooklyn Ate Bar, NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association, IATSE Local 52, SingleCut Beersmiths, and many more have come up with a great event to help gather as many toys as possible this year. Movie Time Cars will be providing a truck,
and we will fill that truck with toys for these underprivileged children. Once the truck is full, it will be driven to the 94th Precinct, where the SBA Delegate will accept the donation, and the toys will then be sorted, wrapped, and delivered by members of the NYPD on Christmas Day. The truck will be parked outside of Brooklyn Ate Bar (you guessed it… in Brooklyn!), where we will have live music, GREAT food and drinks,
50/50 Raffle with some awesome prizes, and all around Holiday fun while doing great things for families in need. I’d like to thank from the bottom of my heart EVERYONE who is involved with this event, and all of the hard work that goes into putting something like this together.
