After years of bringing Christmas to the children of Belize, Corry and Janet McDermott want to the bring the spirit of the season to the children of Albert Lea.

Wednesday, December 12, 2001

After years of bringing Christmas to the children of Belize, Corry and Janet McDermott want to the bring the spirit of the season to the children of Albert Lea.

The new owners of the Victorian Rose Inn, 609 Fountain St., are inviting children ages 4 to 8 years to the bed and breakfast inn from 1-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15. They will hear Christmas stories from Pauline Olson and Marianne DePoppe of the Story Lady Doll & Toy Museum and will be served punch and cookies by Santa’s helpers, the McDermotts.

There is no charge to attend, but parents who wish to bring their children are asked to register them by calling the doll museum at 377-1820 or the Victorian Rose at 373-7602.

&uot;We love children. That’s why we’re doing this,&uot; Janet said.

The McDermotts also plan to play Santa’s helpers at St. John’s Lutheran Home on Friday and at the New Richland Care Center on Sunday.

Their tradition of bringing the Christmas spirit to others dates back to 12 years ago, the first year the McDermotts spent the winter in Belize.

&uot;I wanted to see the orphanage, and Corry told me I didn’t,&uot; Janet recalled. But she insisted, and when they got there, they found babies in cardboard boxes with water in them.

&uot;I said, ‘We have to do something. These babies are going to die,’&uot; Janet said.

So they began playing Santa to the orphans, taking them gifts and candy. Last year, they gave them blankets donated by the Catholic and Lutheran churches in Wells.

&uot;We wrote their names on them, and they were their security blankets,&uot; Janet said.

They arranged for one boy, Dion, born with a cleft palate, to receive medical care in the United States. They also arranged for heart surgery for Natalie, a baby girl. The couple said there are very few doctors to care for the poor of the country.

They’ve also served turkey dinner to the homeless and visited soup kitchens with gifts and Christmas cheer, they said.