Santa Claus comes early to the residents at the Troy Health and Rehabilitation Center.

The message Jeanette Dawkins, TH&R activities director, received from the North Pole is that Santa will visit the center on December 18 with a bag filled with Christmas wishes.

“Santa Claus will visit each of our residents in the morning and deliver their presents to them,” Dawkins said. “Then, in the afternoon, they will come together for our annual Christmas party. Our residents look forward to the Christmas party each year and especially to their visits from Santa.”

Dawkins said Troy Health and Rehab has 155 residents. Some of them are less fortunate that others in that they don’t have family or friends living nearby to share Christmas with them.

“Our residents enjoy Christmas and they really like to receive gifts. Some of them get several gifts and others get very few,” Dawkins said. “Troy Health and Rehab makes it possible for every resident to get a gift from Santa. And, our Adopt-a-Resident program makes it possible for everyone to get a little something more.

“Over the years, the Troy and Pike County communities have been supportive of our Adopt-a-Resident program. This year, we’ve had several of our residents to be adopted already. However, there are residents who are yet to be adopted. Hopes are that there are those who will open their hearts to them.”

Adopting a resident is easy and it doesn’t put a strain on the wallet.

“Those who would like to adopt a resident for Christmas may choose a male or female,” Dawkins said. “We will provide them with a room number and the wish list for that resident and you can choose one or more of the items on the list.

The wish lists are modest and include such items as white socks, pajamas, T-shirts, wraps, body washes, lotions and bar soap. Radio/CD players are not always included on the wish lists but are much appreciated by the residents.

“Most all of our residents enjoy listening to music and to have their own radio or CD player is a real treat,” Dawkins said.

Those who adopt a resident are asked to have the gifts to TH&R by Dec. 14.

The gifts for the residents may be gift wrapped with the exception of clothing items which should be put in gift bags so they don’t have to be unwrapped to be labeled.

The Christmas party will be at 2 p.m. December 18. Those who adopt a resident are invited to attend the party but the names of the adopted residents will not be revealed.

For those who are looking for a way to share Christmas with someone outside their circle of family and friends, Troy Health and Rehabilitation Center offers a unique opportunity with its “Adopt-a-Resident” program, Dawkins said.

The number to call to adopt a resident is 334-566-1176.