Six hundred needy O.C. kids get early Christmas presents

Santa and Mrs. Claus amuse kids while local skate pros perform at Holiday Festival

By ERIKA I. RITCHIE
The Orange County Register

When Daniel Gonzalez unwrapped his new Etnies skate shoes, he had his plans set.

"I'm going to wear them to school tomorrow," said the 10-year-old Anaheim boy – his eyes bright with joy. He had just gotten out of foster care from Orangewood Children's Foundation and rejoined his mother and three siblings. "They're the style everyone wears at school. I had some but they don't fit anymore."

On Wednesday, Daniel was among 600 needy children who crowded Etnies Skate Park for the fourth annual Holiday Festival. Each child got a box of new Etnies sports shoes, posed with Santa and Mrs. Claus for photos while local pro skaters wowed them with tricks.

Children came from Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and Boys & Girls Clubs from Westminster, Santa Ana and Garden Grove, Child Abuse Prevention Center, Human Options, Orange County Rescue Mission, House of Hope and other shelters. Six hundred more shoes were given out at Etnies stores in Commerce and Carlsbad, Northern California, Arizona and Oregon this week.

Members of the Garden Grove Boys and Girls Club crane their necks to see Santa at Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest Wednesday. Needy children from local nonprofits picked up free skate shoes.

The event is an effort by Etnies owner and CEO Pierre Senizergues , a former pro skater who partnered with the city to help create the skate park four years ago, to give back to the community.

The event brought back childhood memories in Paris for Senizergues, who remembered the day he got his first new pair of sports shoes.

"I opened the shoe box and it was a brand new pair of gazelle shoes," said the 44-year-old. "They were royal blue with white laces and a white sole. When I put my new shoes on I felt like I was flying, like my feet weren't touching the ground."

Seniziergues hoped the kids would get that same rush.

ANXIOUSLY WAITING:Members of the Garden Grove Boys and Girls Club anxiously wait in line to see Santa at Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest Wednesday. Needy children from local nonprofits picked up free skate shoes.

Daniel Estrada definitely thought the shoes would give him new style and energy.

"I skateboard," the 11-year-old Santa Ana boy said triumphantly. "With these new shoes I can do a lot of tricks and show others how to do them too. Black and white is my favorite color. White is like snow and black is like a skateboard."

But he wasn't just going to wear them any old time – only on special occasions and for skateboarding.

"It feels good to wear shoes that haven't been worn before," he added.

"We're kind of running out of money," said Giovanni Pedraza, 12, from Santa Ana, as he admired his new pair. "It's nice to get new shoes."

Amber Gonzalez made long-range plans and ripped the wrapping paper.

Opening the box, she gently ran her fingers over her white shoes admiring the purple and silver stars.

"I'm going to tell my mom to wrap them and put them under the Christmas tree," said the 7-year-old Westminster girl. "So I can save them and open them again at Christmas. I won't take them out until my mom's birthday in February. I'm going to wear them that day because my mom and my mom will think they're pretty."

PHOTOS BY: DANIEL A. ANDERSON, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER