ST. LOUIS — In north city, one community leader took the reins Saturday night as he handed out presents to children in high crime areas.
Santa took the night off, so Darren Seals could put on the suit himself. His sleigh rode through the area he grew up in.
Seals, the owner of Sankofa Unity Center in Walnut Park, said he's mentored over 6,000 children.
"We try to make sure they don't go back to the gang violence. Over here, this is the part where people forgot about us," Seals said.
Seals said he used to be a part of the problem, but now he wants to be a solution. "I've been shot up, shot down, shot at 13 times. I want to show people that if I can change, anybody can change," he said.
And he's hoping to bring that change with some holiday spirit.
"We'll go through the high crime neighborhood and through there, you'll see these kids running. They've never seen anything like this!" Seals said
Stopping near intersections in north city, he and his elves, better known as officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, handed out over 3,000 presents.
"These kids don't have the resources," Seals said.
But he isn't just giving out toys -- he's handing out the gift of hope.
"I gotta give them hope, gotta let them know that someone cares," Seals said. "I just want to put a smile on each kid's face!"
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