T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Megan Furbee and her grandchild Kingston Wallace have their picture taken with Santa at the Belmont Career Center’s Staying Clean Club Cocoa with Santa event.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont Career Center’s Staying Clean Club welcomed the big man dressed in red to the school Thursday evening.

The club that promotes a drug-free lifestyle hosted its annual Cocoa with Santa fundraising event where several children rushed to sit on the jolly guy’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas.

The third-annual event cost $5 per child and included a picture with Santa, cookies, cocoa and various games and activities such as cornhole, craft making, coloring and writing letters to Santa.

Event co-organizer and prevention specialist Lilli Luyster said that the gathering is a great way to raise money for the club while providing an opportunity for the community to see what Belmont Career Center has to offer. She added that not only were the students involved in the school’s Staying Clean Club volunteering their time to help put on the event, but students who are part of the Sources of Strength Program also volunteered their evening. According to Luyster the Sources of Strength program is a suicide prevention group that helps improve the morale and culture of the school.

“It’s just a great opportunity for the community to come and see our building and to do a little bit of community outreach, and then it gives the students a chance to do some volunteering for the community,” Luyster said. “All of the proceeds benefit our Staying Clean Club.”

Luyster added that the money made will go toward incentives and rewards for the members of the Staying Clean Club to continue to stay clean and refrain from using drugs and alcohol.

“We believe it helps them be job ready and be ready to go out and work,” she said. “We have a lot of students that are in early job placement, and it shows their dedication to being a good part of the workforce.”

Luyster added that one-third of the school’s students belong to the Staying Clean Club, which she said is roughly 120 students. She believes the group’s participation rate is great and applauds the students’ participation.

She added that she is grateful for the continued support from the community with the Cocoa with Santa event as well as the club’s Halloween event this past October.

“We love having the community in the building so that they can see what a great job our students do,” Luyster said.