APG's Secret Santa's effort is a four-week campaign in which the company donates money to buy Christmas presents for children who otherwise may not receive any.
The bulk of the money is donated by APG, as it gives many of its insurance co-payments to a Secret Santa Fund and also provides some services in exchange for donations to the fund. APG has also received help from several sources over the years, so they have been able to increase the number of children they help each Christmas.
Notable help has been given by the Belleville Chapter of Business Network International, the Rotary Interact Club of O'Fallon Township High School, Nonna's Restaurant in Belleville, Culver's Restaurant in O'Fallon, and many of APG's patients. Also APG's staff has donated their time to take the Secret Santa money and buy the presents from the children's wish lists.
APG's Secret Santa Campaign began in 1999 when two weeks before Christmas Taddei overheard a child excitedly telling his mom some things he was hoping Santa would bring him that year.
"This was causing obvious distress to the parent and she was trying to explain to her child that Santa would probably be too busy to bring presents to their house that year," Taddei said.
Taddei said he then heard the child say "Mommy, I know Santa's always busy, but he loves me and would never forget me." The patient had recently lost her husband, who had next to no life insurance, so finances were desperately tight.
Taddei said the patient's love for her child was very touching, so APG employees took up a collection to buy some presents for her son as a surprise to the patient. Taddei brought the patient back the week before Christmas to give her the presents.
"It was an extremely emotional moment," Taddei said. "It was one of the most touching and gratifying moments of my career, and made me realize that there were probably a lot more parents and children who would not get to realize a real Christmas."
The next year, Taddei contacted Catholic Social Services and APG took on the task of rasing money to purchase Christmas presents for more than 20 children, and the program has grown every year. Four years later, APG has bought presents for more than 200 kids and a family of four, who lost everything in a fire just before Christmas.
* APG posts wish lists form local children at each of its locations. Patients and the public can pick individual gifts to buy or sponsor a child.
* In exchange for a $20 donation to APG's Secret Santa Fund, anyone suffering from muscle or joint pain can receive a consultation, two x-rays and therapy. APG will also donate 100 percent of each patient's insurance co-payment for one day of service each week directly to the Secret Santa Fund from Nov. 14-Dec. 9.
Taddei said he would like to thank Open MRI in Swansea for allowing patients who choose to give a donation in exchange for services to receive a X-ray for no extra charge.
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