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Northbrook resident brings hope for Christmas
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Updated: January 7, 2013 6:11AM
NORTHBROOK — Gary Moriello of Northbrook brought his Santa Claus hat when he visited his friend Barbara Kargas, principal of Goethe Elementary School in Logan Square in Chicago. Moriello a 31-year Northbrook resident and 23-year member of the Northbrook Youth Commission, discussed Operation Santa Claus (OSC). Last year, all 800 students were served ($20 suggested donor limit for each child). And while the seventh grade was still seeking sponsors, Moriello, a former school principal himself, plans to don more than a Santa hat (hint, hint, toss in a beard) during the OSC distribution on Tues., Dec. 18. Operation Santa Claus has often provided youngsters with their very first book that they can call their own. And this year the school is hoping for some iPad donations as well. Moriello’s wife, Beverly Hides-Moriello, is also a retired Chicago Public schools principal. They have two children, Joey and Becky, along with grandchildren Alyssa and Tommy. Moriello and Kargas welcome tax-deductible donations via GARY3540@aol.com and BJKargas@cps.edu.
Q. So Gary, tell us about Operation Santa Claus.
A. (It’s a) wonderful program, started at my former school, Gladstone Elementary in Chicago in 1991. I was approached actually by the future daughter-in-law of one of my teachers to set up a program like this, only it was not books at that time, it was toys, footballs and dolls and things like that. It was a tremendous success. In 1997, our reading scores dropped and the Board of Education said that you need to work on this, you’re on probation, etcetera. So I told people, that everything we do this year has got to be focused on literacy and that includes Operation Santa Claus, so no more toys and dolls, let’s make it books. And there were certainly people who didn’t think that would work, but it did. Then the Board of Education closed Gladstone in 2008 and I turned to my friend Barbara at the Goethe School, and Barbara said, ‘Sure, bring it (OSC) over here.’ So we have been doing it and expanding it every year.
Q. So Barbara, is Gary Moriello Santa’s elf?
A. He is the best Santa’s elf and actually Santa, I have to say, he lives in the North Pole, you know, and he comes out here and he does this and he’s awesome and the kids love it. The year before last, when he (Moriello) came and delivered gifts, we had some seventh graders that came to help carry the things and they said, ‘Are we going to get gifts too? Is Santa coming to see us?’ And I was so downcast because I said, ‘I will never do this without having the older kids.’ So we ventured out and last year we did it. And what was so amazing you think, you know, seventh and eighth graders, they were just as excited in a different way. Kids all day long were coming down, saying, “Tell Santa thank you, this is so cool.’”
Q. Gary, what is hope?
A. What we’re giving to children is not a Christmas gift, or a bunch of books, we’re giving hopefully the gift of literacy. We’re giving them the idea that they can read, they can succeed, they can do things, and that there are people out there, strangers, people they’ve never met, who think it’s a good thing to help these children.
Q. What’s your favorite children’s book?
A. “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak (Moriello). “Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae (Kargas).
