Kent Breckenridge admits that he can’t sit nonetheless. When he sees one thing that wants be finished – whether or not that could be a new enterprise or an act of kindness – he isn’t one to attend round to see if another person will do it first.
“Typically you simply do. You see a necessity. I like folks, and I do. I simply go and I do it. Typically folks I feel I give an excessive amount of of myself. However it’s my coronary heart and I don’t know the rest to do,” stated the entrepreneur, father, devoted husband and beloved Santa Claus.
This is applicable to every little thing from his enterprise ventures, NextHome Selection Actual Property and FetchT Supply, to his service as a Santa Claus through the Christmas season.
Breckenridge and his spouse Camille are often known as Santa Breckenridge and the Darkish-Haired Mrs. Claus. Through the Christmas season, the couple might be discovered all through the area, bringing Christmas cheer to youngsters and adults. It’s a job that matches Breckenridge completely – though he was sluggish to take up the responsibility.
“I resisted the Santa factor for a lot of years. Whereas I like Christmas, I didn’t need to placed on a tacky go well with and costume and go round. Lastly, I gave in. I had a number of individuals who stored encouraging me to do this, my wife, and my oldest daughter – they stored on, and kept on, and eventually I gave in,” he stated. “The first yr I did a number of little issues... after I used to be in a position to see the children and the wild eyes and the amazement and all the joy that went on. I used to be hooked. Very last thing on the earth I assumed I’d be doing. It has grown yearly since then.”
The couple subsequently had been skilled on the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus Faculty.
From showing on the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce’s anniversary celebration on Friday to an look Saturday in Baton Rouge, La., to a six-week rotation of duties on the Bass Professional Store, to creating particular requested journeys to look, he’ll cease at no lengths to unfold the enjoyment of the season.
One time, the Breckenridges traveled on Christmas Eve to Tennessee arriving at a household’s house simply after midnight. There, he awoke a sleeping six-year-old youngster to inform him he had gotten his Christmas want: A perpetually household. He was being adopted. After sharing the excellent news and consuming some carrot sticks with the kid – who most popular them to cookies and milk – Santa Breckenridge tucked the kid again in mattress, leaving him together with his magic hat to remind him of the go to and “that it doesn’t matter what occurs, he can do something he needs,” Breckenridge stated.
Final yr, Santa Breckenridge was in a position to mix his duties of co-owner of FetchT. The enterprise obtained a request for a meal supply to a lady’s house, which had been positioned by her household. When putting the order, the out-of-town household famous that the girl was battling superior most cancers and as a consequence of her fatigue and weak point from chemotherapy, she could also be sluggish to reply the door. Santa Breckenridge determined some Christmas magic was so as.
“I put my go well with on, and Santa confirmed as much as carry her lunch and attempt to put a smile on her face,” he recalled.
It’s not simply the shoppers of FetchT supply service who’ve felt the love from Breckenridge. So have the handfuls of eating places within the area who’ve partnered with the service through the time of COVID-19.
Breckenridge and his stepson Brame Garner, a junior accounting main on the College of Mississippi, began the enterprise a number of years in the past. Garner needed to begin his personal enterprise and approached Breckenridge with the concept, the pair co-own it 50/50 and are concerned in each side of it. The enterprise has been rising quickly during the last couple of years, buoyed partially by the rise of expertise pushed supply companies, after which the sale of one other rival service to a big company. Many eating places switched to FetchT as a result of they needed to maintain their cash native and help one other native enterprise. FetchT moved into the Oxford market at that time adding dozens of latest eating places to their service.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck. It put them able not solely to proceed to develop, however to do good for different companies and their total neighborhood on the identical time, stated Breckenridge.
“We’re honored that we had been in a position to be in a spot to assist this yr. We by no means figured that any of us can be on this scenario. When the pandemic hit, we had been requested to remain open if we might,” Breckenridge stated. “We tried to place ourselves the place we might try this and be a hyperlink for the eating places. We all know a few of them would have had a really troublesome time, and should not have survived if we hadn’t been in a position to assist. We received on the market and did no matter we might do to assist them. We saw ourselves as a part of their staff.”
Pam Swain, vp of the Chamber of Commerce, stated she’s heard from many native companies that FetchT has been extraordinarily priceless.
“I can’t put into phrases how a lot it has meant to the neighborhood through the pandemic,” she stated. From people, like herself, who’ve used the service throughout this time to eating places who’ve relied on it to maintain the doorways open.
However that’s not all FetchT does to share pleasure and prosperity. A portion of the faith-based enterprise’ income go to help Christian mission work each at house and overseas.
“Our focus is on giving again to missions, and that mission is the mission of Jesus Christ to unfold The Phrase. We glance very onerous on the applications we do” Breckenridge defined, noting they’ve supported orphanages, and fed deprived youngsters each within the US and overseas, given scholarships to the Christian–primarily based basketball program Upward. S
“We all know regardless that we labored very onerous that we’re blessed. We didn’t do that by ourselves,” Breckenridge defined.
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