SAN MARCOS — A North County man known for giving back to the community through his Santa Claus alter ego is partnering with TERI Common Grounds Cafe and Coffee Bar in San Marcos for a breakfast fundraiser benefiting those with special needs and families in need.
The “Christmas in July” Summer Breakfast Fundraiser will take place July 15 from 9 a.m. to noon at the cafe, featuring a buffet-style breakfast, a raffle and entertainment including games, face painting, cotton candy and visits with miniature horses.
Proceeds will go toward adults with special needs, the client base served by TERI Campus of Life, which oversees the cafe, and families in need during the upcoming winter holidays.
Sean Garcia, the man behind Seanta Clause — a play on Sean and Santa — has been offering his services as Old Saint Nick for free throughout the community for eight years. More recently, Garcia has found creative ways to give back to families in need around the holidays, in addition to his job as a mechanic.
“From Thanksgiving to Christmas, I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I might have a Santa thing to do in the evening, then I also have other appearances and stuff I do during the weekend,” he said.
Last December, Garcia connected with TERI as the Santa for its Christmas brunch. He and the organization were interested in partnering again, so they planned a joint fundraiser in the summer where proceeds will be split between their two causes.
“He’s pretty much doing most of the work, we’re just giving him the venue,” said TERI spokesperson Lina Cardenas. “Sean Garcia is a local influencer, and he has quite the following … we’re hoping by partnering with him, we’ll double our attendance.”
The event will be Garcia’s second breakfast fundraiser. He held his first at Applebee’s in December, using the proceeds to provide Christmas dinner, gifts, and clothes to 11 families.
By having this fundraiser in July — where he’ll be dressed in a summertime version of his Santa attire — Garcia hopes to get a head start on gathering funds to help families during the 2023 holidays, with plans for another fundraising event closer to Christmas.
“My hope is that by the time it’s all said and done, we can help more than 11 [families],” Garcia said.
Through his public Facebook group “Seanta Clause and Friends,” Garcia has also organized fun giveaways of new toys, electronics, household items and other goods donated by residents and local businesses.
During these giveaways, Garcia will bring a gift in his Santa costume to random locations throughout Escondido and post a photo with a clue about where to find him. The first person to show up gets the gift.
He said these “Where’s Seanta?” giveaways took off like wildfire.
Many of Garcia’s appearances as Seanta Clause also involve his wife, Valerie, as Mrs. Clause and a handful of friends as his elves.
“We love doing this. There’s nothing better than seeing the look on not just kids’ but people’s faces during the holiday when they win something or just get to see Santa and Mrs. Clause. That just makes it all worth it,” he said.
Tickets for the July 15 fundraiser are available for $15 at terricommongroundscafe.com/events. Attendees can also purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win gift cards to local businesses and restaurants, a custom pair of Seanta Clause Vans shoes, and more.
