By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
Santa Claus is not always a guy in a red suit that lives at the North Pole.
For the children of some area residents, Santa is their landlord.
Jesse Brewer is the owner and founder of Cincy Area Properties in Covington. He is also a Boone County Commissioner and a former police officer, which provided the inspiration for his Landlord Santa program.
“We got the idea from Shop with a Cop,” Brewer said. “I talked to my office manager and said, ‘man, we should do something like this,’ take kids shopping for coats, hats, gloves, toys.”
That was ten years ago and that first year, six kids signed up and four participated.
“The following year we were going to take a few more, so I started asking some of our vendors and investors that we deal with if they want to chip some money in,” Brewer said. “People were on board instantly. Last year we took 54 kids, so from four to 54 in nine years and we are pretty excited about that.”
The average amount spent per child is $250.
If they show up at the event and they have a winter coat or hat, they are not required to buy another one. The goal is to fill unmet needs.
“When they show up it’s around the holidays, so we think of that first, because it’s cold,” Brewer said. “Whatever money they have left can be for gifts, for themselves, for family members. When we select families, if there are two or three kids within our age range, the goal is to take the family.”
Brewer has had a passion for encouraging community participation for some time.
In November 2018, he started The Brewer Foundation for Civic Engagement. The goal is to promote civic engagement from youngsters who live in Boone County.
The foundation awards annual scholarships to Boone County high school and middle school students who demonstrate an interest in or participate in civic-engagement activities.
“I started the foundation primarily to encourage the youth in our community to take a more active role in community service and promote more civic engagement in our community,” Brewer said. “I think our next generation of our kids need to be more engaged in what is going, not only in their own community but in the nation and the world.”
The foundation awards a $250 scholarship each year to a senior at Boone County’s five highs schools: Boone County High School, Connor High School, Larry A. Ryle High School, Randall K. Cooper High School, and Walton-Verona High School.
It also awards a $100 scholarship each year to an eighth-grader at the county’s six middle schools: Camp Ernst Middle School, Connor Middle School, Gray Middle School, Ockerman Middle School, Jones Middle School, and Walton-Verona Middle School.
Brewer’s enthusiasm is contagious.
The Landlord Santa event now includes his entire staff and about 15 additional volunteers.
Business sponsors include Forcht Bank, Prominent Title, Cincinnati attorney Tom Hodges and several others, including many individual donors. Over the years, the list has grown to about 75 donors.
Brewer said one of the most heartwarming things for him is the unselfishness of the children chosen to participate in the event.
“We had a little girl under 10 years old that used the money to buy groceries for her family,” Brewer said. “That kind of stings a little bit, but in a good way.”
Other children have purchased gifts for everyone in their family, except themselves.
“When I see that, I always have a little bit of extra money set aside or I pull it out of my own pocket and ask them what they need,” Brewer said.
Brewers sons also help out at the event and he said they are learning some valuable lessons. He pairs them up with a family to go shopping.
“Every year we go to the Fort Wright Walmart on a Friday night, I set it up with them ahead of time,” Brewer said. “Walmart has been a really good partner for us and gives us a space, with a Santa Claus. At the end, we all come together and check out at one time – they open a special register for us – and we do a big group photo.”
At last count Landlord Santa had enough donations for 64 children.
Someone asked me what our goal is and I said 100 kids, I don’t know if I’ll get there or not, but that’s what I’m shooting for.
The Landlord Santa program is part of the Brewer Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Donations can be made online here, or in person at any Forcht Bank location, listed below.
502 Madison Ave, Covington, KY
6100 First Financial Dr, Burlington, KY
3549 Columbia Pkwy, Cincinnati, OH
2110 Beechmont Ave, Cincinnati, OH
Contributors should instruct the teller that the donations are for the “Landlord Santa” program.
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com