Lt. Greg Minton

Lt. Greg Minton

Written by Susan VanDeWater Thursday, 07 December 2006

On Christmas Day in 1995, patrol officer Greg Minton responded to a call at a local residence. He doesn’t remember the details of that day, but he does remember how it changed him.

“When I started on the force in 1995, there were only a handful of officers, so it wasn’t uncommon for any of us to work the holidays,” he recalls. “The call that I was responding to was in a low-income area. I remember when I walked into the house, I was struck by the fact that there were no presents or even a Christmas tree. I asked the kids if they were excited that it was Christmas and they just looked at me and said, ‘Why? It’s just like any other day.’”

“That really threw me. I lived for Christmas as a kid. That day stuck in my head and I knew I had to do something.”

Minton was aware of the Austin Police Department’s Blue Santa program, and decided to learn more about it. At the time the program could not find funding in Leander, but Minton was not discouraged. Together with his wife, Michelle, they became the Leander Blue Santa organization.

“A friend of ours owned a Hallmark store and was willing to help us,” he said. “She gave us five or six rare Beanie Babies (which were huge at that time) to auction off.”

With the money they raised from the auction, as well as private donations from local citizens, Minton and his wife bought gifts on the families’ wish lists. In its first year, Leander’s Blue Santa, made up of just two people, provided gifts to 20 families.

After the first year, Minton said support from the community began to build. Local businesses and private citizens recognized what the department was doing and wanted to help. In fact, one woman donated 100 bicycles she had personally purchased.

The organization eventually began holding fundraisers such as the annual parade in December, where Minton still dresses up as Blue Santa.

But soon, the program couldn’t keep up with the growth of the city.

“We wanted other people involved in the program, so that it could continue to grow. At that time, we decided to reinstate the police association,” Minton said.

In 2002, the Leander Law Enforcement Association took the reigns of Blue Santa. Minton and his wife still participate, but he attributes the program’s success to something more than the two of them.

“It may have started out as a two-person operation, but it has grown into a community affair,” Minton said. “This program’s success is the result of everyone’s dedication and drive to make Blue Santa work.”

From Leander ISD schools to the Leander Community Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Citizen’s Police Academy and local businesses, not to mention private citizens, Leander Blue Santa is a community effort.

Last year, the organization partnered with the Hill Country Christmas Bureau and Cedar Park’s Blue Santa, resulting in the most successful year to date.

“In 2005, Leander Blue Santa provided gifts to more than 600 children in approximately 200 families,” said Detective Helen Garrett, president of LLEA. Leander Blue Santa remains a completely voluntary program.

“The officers who participate do so out of the kindness of their hearts and for the spirit of Christmas,” Minton said. “In our job we see so much of the bad stuff. Participating in this program gives us a chance to see all the good that is out there too.”