Robert Barber goes belly up for charity. (Jonathan Baskin)
Robert Barber, from East Tremont in The Bronx, has seen a lot in his 55 years. He served two stints in the Army, battled a “too much beer” habit and spent time in the streets, homeless. But he never thought he’d see himself in a red Santa suit.
Not long ago, as a one-time beneficiary of Volunteers of America, he was asked by the nonprofit group to don the cheery crimson costume to help raise funds — and holiday spirits — for New Yorkers. But Barber balked. “I’m not wearing no Santa Claus suit out there,” he said to himself.
But Barber relented, wanting to give back. “Why not?” he said, “It’s Christmas time.”
So, just before the start of the holiday season, he enrolled in VOA’s Santa Claus class along with 30 other Santa wannabes at the group’s Upper West Side headquarters.
There, in the first-floor parlor, men and women are donning their familiar-looking uniforms for the first time, attaching beards and struggling with fresh pairs of gloves.
John Galbo, 49, their holiday host and teacher — and a Santa man for more then a decade — leads a jolly “Ho ho ho” shout when all are suited up.
“The secret is to have fun with it. If you’re not enjoying it, you’re not doing Santa,” says Galbo.
Tina Ortisi, a program director at the Brandon Residence for Women, a VOA housing facility near the headquarters, is serious about the gig. “When you’re wearing that uniform, you’re representing Santas all over the world,” she says, adding “You never want to smoke a cigarette in a Santa suit.”
This collection of Old St. Nicks, a mix of VOA employees and once-needy clients, will stand on Upper West Side corners through the holidays hoping passers-by fill “chimneys” — with the goal of raising $70,000 for VOA’s food voucher program for needy families.
When Alex Havriliak, the VOA’s 51-year-old CFO, started, more than a decade ago, he couldn’t see himself as Santa. He felt it was too corny.
Now, after two weeks on the job, Havriliak is inspired. “Kids like it. And adults. Everyone likes Santa. Who doesn’t like Santa?”