Mooseheart's Santa gets as much out of Christmas as the kids

Bob Miller has portrayed Santa Claus at Mooseheart with a huge team of St. Charles East students as his elves. He also has been Santa with a group of Haines Middle School students as his gift-bearing assistants.

Miller is a retired educator who served as principal at St. Charles East and later at Haines. His annual trips to Mooseheart continue, however, and on Dec. 19, he donned the red suit and white beard and delivered gifts to Mooseheart's elementary-age students for the 11th straight year. Santa's visit coincides with the final day of the fall semester.

"I used to tell the kids at St. Charles East, when I was principal there, that this is kind of our extended family," Miller said. "I would talk to senior boys and girls in the woods program, and they would tell me that the coolest part of the year was coming over here and seeing the product of their hard work, seeing the kids' faces. They said they'd get the real meaning of Christmas when they came here."

For years, Miller's trips to Mooseheart were the final act of a process that began with the school's woodworking students creating often elaborate creations. These were auctioned, and the proceeds from that auction went to purchase gifts for Mooseheart children.

At Haines, a variety of fundraisers allowed the tradition to continue. In retirement, Miller funds the trips himself, though he received assistance from Toys R Us, which has been a partner in the Christmas toy deliveries for many years. This year, Miller said he worked with the South Elgin Toys R Us store.

"It's still fun and you can still see the smiles on the kids' faces," Miller said. "They look forward to it too; they're anxious to see Santa. I always tell my wife that if I could end Christmas the day I go to Mooseheart, it'd be fine. It is really a neat, neat thing I enjoy."

Miller's desire to portray Santa and to deliver gifts to Mooseheart stems from experiences his father, Henry, had while growing up as an orphan in a series of foster homes. Some years, Henry Miller received a gift, but some years he did not.

"I always think about him at Christmas," Miller said. "It was a curriculum project at the high school, and Christmas is about giving. I wanted to continue it when I left East, and it did. Now that I'm retired, I wanted to continue it. It makes my Christmas."

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,500 lodges and chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten through high school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart is currently home to roughly 230 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment.

Visit mooseheart.org or follow the school on Facebook.