Point Loma is special every holiday season thanks to two homegrown Yuletide events: the Ybarra friends and family’s “Hot Cocoa for a Cure” annual hot chocolate charity fundraiser, and the annual Garrison Street holiday light show.
The 17th annual Garrison Street charity fundraiser will take place 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Freitas residence, 3616 Garrison St., across the street from the original location of the Ybarra home. Upwards of 1,000 cups of $1 hot chocolates and scrumptious baked goodies will be sold.
Carrie Ybarra said her family’s charity fundraiser started out small, but has since evolved into a neighborhood affair. All event proceeds each year are donated to a needy local Point Loma resident.
“Seventeen years ago it was just a little hot chocolate stand set up on a card table run by my two daughters in front of our house to raise money for a little girl in Tijuana having leg surgery, and we raised enough money to buy her a Barbie,” Ybarra said. “Now it’s turned into a community event where people not only donate, but help run it. It’s amazing.”
“This year we’re donating proceeds to Alex Barbosa, a boy who was in a bad motorcycle accident,” Ybarra said about the 22-year-old son of John and Andreia Barbosa, an SDSU student majoring in kinesiology. He works as a personal trainer on the Naval base, a physical therapist aid, and enjoys his time spent with his brothers at Phi Kappa Theta.
On Oct. 12, Barbosa was in a motorcycle accident leaving him in critical condition with a C-spine fracture, broken jaw, breathing and feeding tubes, blood in his lungs, a rod and pins in his left leg, and his right leg amputated below the knee. Fortunately, his brain CT scans remain stable. All donations should be made payable to the UPSES for benefit of Alex Barbosa.
Past hot chocolate fundraiser recipients have also included a victim of domestic violence, a child with brain cancer, a boy who was shot and survived, and many others in need.
The public is encouraged to come out for hot cocoa, yummy treats, music and an appearance by Santa starting at 5 p.m. Special appearances at the chocolate charity are also to include live music and a fire truck visit.
It’s a dual celebration, as hot-chocolate fundraiser guests will also be able to feast their eyes on the traditional, dazzling Garrison Street lights display.
Kyle Ybarra noted the Garrison holiday light show “has started to stretch beyond our little two blocks. We have new families on Garrison Place that are lighting up that side of the street that has been pretty dark.
Eventually, maybe a few years from now, it will be considerably larger.”
The Garrison Street Christmas lights tradition began as a “friendly” competition nearly 30 years ago between the Judd family’s mother and daughter trying to outdo one another with their holiday displays on the block between Chatsworth Boulevard and Garrison Place. The Christmas tradition began with just a small nativity scene, then added a Santa, angels and Mickey Mouse characters in windows and has since morphed into something more resembling Disneyland.
Other neighborhood homes have since joined in adding lights and other things, like big blow-up displays of Santa Claus and his reindeer, snowmen and other Christmas icons.
The Ybarras request that friends, families and neighbors show up on Dec. 10 to buy hot cocoa, treats or make a donation.
“If you sign up to bring something, please drop it off by Dec. 8, with the exception of baked goods,” said Carrie Ybarra. “Individually wrapped baked goods can be dropped off anytime on Friday, Dec. 9.” Donors are requested to leave all items on the porch of 3631 Garrison St. noting who it’s from. Hot Cocoa for a Cure Where: 3616 Garrison St. When: 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10.