Sensory-friendly Santa to make appearance at Leesburg library

LEESBURG — Special-needs children will be able to spend time with a sensory-friendly Santa this Sunday at the Oakland Library, the first event of its kind at the Lee County Library.

Each child will have 20 minutes of one-on-one time to take photos with and visit Santa. Of 15 appointments available, there are eight left.

Andrew Pillman is the Oakland Library’s tech specialist and has played Santa before. Even so, Pillman said he’s done some homework on ways to interact with special-needs children.

“I’ve been trying to read up on how to best approach special-needs children,” Pillman said. “Some children, of course, don’t want to be held, or they need to be touched in certain ways to make them calm. Sometimes the caregiver or parent will need to remain in contact with them as well. That’ll depend on how the child is comfortable with us. I’ll be on the chair, on the floor, standing, gloves, no gloves — it’ll be a unique experience for each child when they come in.”

Pillman said he likes interacting with kids and hopes to make Sunday special for them.

“For me, being a Santa in the past, I don’t have kids of my own, and it’s always fantastic meeting children who are just full of wonder and happiness,” Pillman said. “I’m looking forward to, hopefully, being able to inspire some wonder in the kids we’re going to be meeting on Sunday.”

Claire Leavy, director of the Lee County Library, said the Christmas event will feature a more soothing atmosphere for the children.

“We want the atmosphere to be quiet and free from the chaos of lots of crowds, music, lights, that sort of thing,” Leavy said. “We will have some soothing music that can or cannot be played, and we’ll have some dim lights if that’s an issue for some children.”

Leavy said she got the idea for a sensory-friendly Santa both from a conference she’d attended and after seeing another library in Georgia host a similar event. After working through scheduling conflicts, Leavy said she’s glad to bring the event to the Oakland Library.

“I think, for some children with disabilities, they don’t get the opportunity to be with Santa,” Leavy said. “There are those photos that families treasure for so long. It’s heartwarming that we can provide that opportunity for families.”

The free program is open to the public and sponsored by the Lee County Library. It will last from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The number to make a 20-minute appointment is (229) 889-0300. The Oakland Library is located at 445 Oakland Parkway West in Leesburg.

Claire Leavy