2016.12.26
The Santa Project is a Christmas event held at Keio University Hospital every year on the second Saturday of December. We aim to bring a little joy to patients by providing them and their families with handmade Christmas cards and music, and by bringing Christmas carols to the hospital wards, where the seasonal spirit is often less felt. Music groups perform in the main entrance hall, the wards, and sometimes in private rooms, while first-year students from the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, dressed in Santa Claus costumes, distribute Christmas cards.
This year, the event was held on Saturday, December 10, 2016. Among the patients and families who came to listen to the music in the wards, some clapped along, while others were moved to tears. In the pediatric ward, we held quizzes and bingo games, which brought many smiles to the children's faces. Being able to share this Christmas moment with everyone gave us, in turn, much inspiration and the energy to live.
This year, the Santa Project celebrated its 20th anniversary. After the activities at the hospital, we held a 20th-anniversary party in a classroom on the second floor of the Koyosha building. Many people attended, including senior students and alumni who have built up the Santa Project over the years, and members of the music groups who bring wonderful music to the wards. At the party, first-year students sang Christmas carols, and the music groups performed their well-practiced Christmas songs. It was a memorable party where we could interact with many people, reflect on the past 20 years, and take a new step toward the next decade.
The Santa Project is a proud tradition of the Keio University Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care. That it has been passed down to this day is thanks to the cooperation of everyone who has been involved in the Santa Project. The Santa Project Executive Committee is committed to continuing its activities in the years to come to keep bringing a wonderful Christmas to patients.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the hospital staff and faculty members for their cooperation, and above all, to the patients and their families who listened to our music.
We wish you a wonderful Christmas this year.
Happy Merry Christmas!!
Representative, 2016 Santa Project Executive Committee
Ayaka Iizuka, Second-year student, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, Keio University
Santa Project 20th Anniversary Party, with past representatives