Safe Horizon/Al's Angels Holiday Party at St. Francis College

More than 350 Brooklyn children had an early visit from Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman at St. Francis College Wednesday for the Safe Horizon/Al's Angels Holiday Party.

St. Francis Alum Al DiGuido ('78) started Al's Angels to serve the needs of critically ill children and families suffering the ravages of cancer, rare blood diseases and poverty. Each year the Angels try to double the amount of children and families they help. This year they gave out 2,500 gifts and served 1000 families with holiday meals.

"I went to a fundraiser with the New York Giants for The Children's Fund about 20 years ago and learned first hand about the plight of hundreds of kids with cancer whose families were having trouble meeting their bills," said DiGuido. "I went home that night and told my wife we had to do something to help them."

DiGuido started out by helping to raise millions of dollars over a few years while working at Ziff-Davis. Shortly after that, he wanted to branch out and he set up his own organization, Al's Angels (www.alsangels.org – make sure you type in dot org). Now, every year, Al's Angels works with several charities to host dinners and gift parties for families throughout the tri-state area.

"This is our last party of the year. We were in Harlem, at the Hackensack Medical Center, St. Christopher-Ottilie on Long Island and a few other sites. Every time we give one of these children a gift, no matter how big or small, we see the biggest smiles. Real joy and real appreciation," said DiGuido. "And I get to play Santa for every one of them."

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City's five boroughs and beyond.
###
St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu