Sign Language Santa Takes Christmas Wishes At Lions Club Event

AURORA, IL — A signing Santa and about 60 deaf and hearing-impaired students, parents and teachers from Aurora school districts shared holiday wishes during Aurora Noon Lions Club's 15th annual pizza party Thursday.

A hearing-impaired Lisle resident, Dan Basalone returned to portraying the Santa who's fluent in American Sign Language. Ahead of the pizza party, Noon Lions packed about 50 gift buckets for Santa to distribute to children at the gathering.

From 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Luigi's Pizza, 732 Prairie St. — also where the Aurora Noon Lions meet on the first and third Monday of each month, the holiday event allowed visitors from West Aurora School District 129 and East Aurora School District 131 to meet and chat with Santa.

For the event, the Noon Lions partnered with Sycamore-based Northeastern Illinois Association, a special education cooperative that serves children who have autism and hearing and vision impairment.

The club, whose motto is "We serve," focuses on supporting causes that include vision and hearing impairment, hunger, diabetes and childhood cancer. The Aurora group, affiliated with Lions Club International, is gearing up to celebrate its 100th year in 2022.