Vol. 4 Issue 5
Dec. 14, 2016
Santa's Secrets In The MIX
Alex Thompson Stephanie Ramirez Staff Writers
fact, we first hit the air in late September, and we were asking the community to come together for Secret Santa less
wh they know need our help to make their Christmas special. Listeners donate funds every year to pay for the Christmas
In our previous interviews, we had the opportunity to question our faculty, but we decided to shine the spotlight on an important event that is really close to the people in our community. For those who don’t know about Secret Santa, it’s an event that helps make Christmas possible for families in need. We decided to inform people more about this event, and who better to tell us then Mix 107.5’s very own Duffy Moon. Purple Press: When did you start Secret Santa, and where did you get the name for this event? Mr. Moon: We started our Secret Santa program back in 2002, but, for the first two years, we did it just a little differently. The first year we raised money and donated it to the "Lighthouse Mission", a terrific organization here in Clovis. The second year, we raised money and donated it to "Make A Wish Foundation". It was in year three that I revamped the program to that which you hear today. The idea of a local radio station doing a charitable campaign around the holidays isn’t new. When my first partner, Steve Rooney, and I worked together in San Diego back in the 90s, we did an annual toy drive that we dubbed Secret Santa and we carried that name with us here to the High Plains. Purple Press: Did you expect this event to bring the community closer? Mr. Moon: That very first year, we were pretty nervous. We were still VERY new to this town, so we thought it really wasn’t going to work out. In
Duffy Moon (Aka. Secret Santa) then two months later. We knew after that first year that we had touched on something, but we had no idea just how big Secret Santa would become. I say it all the time, and I mean it. The program wouldn’t have the same effect anywhere other than the High Plains of Eastern New Mexico and West Texas. Truly, there’s just something about this area and this community, and it’s awesome. Purple Press: How many years have you done Secret Santa? Mr. Moon: Our first Secret Santa campaign was in 2002, this year is our 15th year. Purple Press: Do people help you out a lot; if so what do they do to make this come out perfect? Mr. Moon: Community involvement is the only way for a program like Secret Santa to continue to be successful year after year. It’s amazing to see the level of support we get. The entire program starts and ends with Mix 107.5 listeners. We’re just the goofy morning radio show that steers the bus. Listeners nominate families
deliveries. Listeners also donate their time to shop for and help deliver to the families. Clovis fire fighters help with deliveries all the time. The Clovis High School swim team spends an afternoon every year wrapping hundreds of presents. That’s why we take the responsibility of bringing every stage of Secret Santa to the radio very seriously. The community trusts us to do this every year and we think its imperative that you get to hear the program all the way through. From the first day of nominations, to our goofy stunt to raise funds, to the deliveries themselves. All of it plays out on Mix 107.5 so don’t miss out. Purple Press: What was the best year, in your opinion for this event? Mr. Moon: That’s a toughy. If you’re referring to the annual fundraising “stunt,” the two that seem to come up more often than not are the year that I was buried alive at the McDonald’s on Mitchell, and the year that I got stuck in the middle of Greene Acres Lake on a makeshift raft because the lake
froze over. Fundraising wise, the best year wasn’t necessarily the year in which we raised the most money (which was $27,000 a few years back.) In my opinion, it was the third year of Secret Santa. That was the first year we tried doing the program the way you’re used to hearing it and we were nervous that we wouldn’t collect enough money to cover 5 families. By the end of the fundraising, the community had come together and donated just over $18,000 and we were able to give Christmas to 9 families. I will never forget that year because it meant a lot to me especially how the community came together to make this happen. As far as deliveries go, there’s not one year that sticks out over the others. Every year there are a few families that really stand out. But they’re all so special especially when you surprise that family, you know, in your heart, you are creating a life long memory for them and that’s really cool. Purple Press: We understand there is a limited amount of money that can be put into this program, but how can the rest of the community contribute? Mr. Moon: You’re absolutely right when you say “limited amount of money.” Because of the nature of the program and how much time it takes to pull it off for each family, we’re pretty much capped at 12 to 13 deliveries per year. So, we don’t try to raise more than