CLEVELAND — The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration, but it hasn't always been that way for some. One local man turned his own pain into a mission to spread Christmas cheer.
As hard as it is to believe, Ryan Sowers didn't always embrace the holidays because they served as a reminder of what he once lost.
"I lost my dad when I was young. I lost him at about nine years old to brain cancer, and the last time I saw him was at Christmas, and so Christmas was always kind of filled with pain and loss and grief," said Sowers.
But his mindset shifted when he met his now-wife, Maria, three years ago.
"She came to me and said, you need to change this about yourself. You are the most jovial, happy but lucky person, and why in the world are you such a Grinch about Christmas," said Sowers.
So Sowers made it his mission to find a new outlook that spread joy instead of pain and involved a red suit.
"So being Santa, started with, let's raise as much money as I possibly can, and it was totally on a whim. I said, we're just going to try this and see what happens and we started there, started raising money, and then we chose a nonprofit very quickly,"
He donated the money raised to United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland in his first year, and his inspiration isn't hard to spot.
"My sister, Rebecca, she's three years older than me and has cerebral palsy, and, you know, she is an absolute light in my life,' Ryan continued, "I just really wanted to support her and do something special to honor her and find the happy meaning in Christmas."
They were able to raise $8,000, which went to UCP.
"We bought blankets for every child. We had them embroidered locally, and then we did gift cards for every individual that lives in one of the group homes through United Cerebral Palsy. And then any of the additional remaining cash that first year was just an unrestricted gift to United Cerebral Palsy," said Sowers.
Last year, he hit $16,000 and went to Providence House. This year, Sowers set a goal of $20,000, and within two weeks, he's almost reached his goal. Once the money is raised, Santa and Mrs. Claus deliver the gifts in true Christmas fashion.
"So when it's all said and done, we always choose a day, and maria and I will go down, and she's my Mrs. Claus, and I dress up as Santa Claus," Sowers continued. "I think the whole doing it in person is all about just creating some magic."
For Sowers, the magic is more than a gift; it is healing as he continues to serve and honor those around him.
"It is truly like my heart grew three sizes that day, and I did not know I had a that further capacity for love and for that magic and Christmas." Sowers continued, "It's not about you, it's, it's about what you can do for others."
Sowers accepts donations until Dec. 13, when he'll head to UCP dressed as Santa to pass out those gifts. For more information on how to help, you can donate to UCP and designate the donations to Santa Sowers, or you can find Ryan on Facebook.
