For the second consecutive year Christmas and Santa came a couple of weeks early for over 30 members of  the Hazlet-Aberdeen-Matawan Therapeutic Rec Program, known locally as H.A.M. Rec Program when the Knights of Columbus of Matawan threw a holiday party for them on Sunday afternoon, December 9 at the organization’s center located on Noble Road in Aberdeen.

Cardinal Newman Council #5324 annually adopts a local family for Christmas and once again decided to designate the H.A.M. organization, one of the charities that benefits from the group’s Special Needs children collection drive each year. The Knights and their wives cooked the holiday lunch for attendees. Each partygoer received a special picture frame that they put together to house their picture with Santa, the special visitor to the party.

Each H.A.M. participant got to visit with Santa and take their picture with him as he gave each a present.   The Matawan Knights also presented Bernadette Hammond, H.A.M. Program Supervisor with a donation of $750.00.

 “As Knights of Columbus, we are committed to charity and doing something like this for such a fine organization, which has positively impacted the lives of so many individuals, is reflective of the principles of what the Knights of Columbus stands for, said Timothy Poling, Grand Knight.”

 H.A.M. has been providing a variety of educational and social activities for developmentally disabled residents of the three towns since 1980. Many of the participants in the program have been together since its founding.

 “I am so grateful for the Knights and their wives for all they did for us today,” said Bernadette Hammond, Program Supervisor. “This has become a wonderful tradition and all of our members look forward to this party.”

The magical day was enhanced by a magic show conducted by Gene Cosnowski, whose daughter Mary is part of the group.