Sioux Falls Santa, Bishop Dudley Hospitality House collaborate for holiday cause to benefit shelter

Bishop Dudley Hospitality House and Sioux Falls Santa have created a partnership through commemorative ornaments, which will benefit the shelter.

It’s the second year that Bishop Dudley Hospitality House has done an ornament sale to benefit its organization. Last year, a local artist, Rodger Ellingson, created a collectible watercolor ornament that featured local landmarks for $20.

The results were so good that they decided to do it again this year.

Bishop Dudley’s Development and Marketing Manager Jennie Palmer said that they were able to sell 500 this year, so they decided to double it to 1,000.

"They even had people call in before they were out, asking to get them this year," Palmer said. "So it's been really good, really well received and I think people kind of like that it's Sioux Falls-specific."

This year, the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House chose to highlight a local Christmas celebrity, Sioux Falls Santa.

Steve Hildebrand, a member of Bishop Dudley’s Board of Directors, reached out to Sioux Falls Santa, who is portrayed by Lyle Kroon. And, he said yes.

“He contacted me if it would be okay for him to use that photo and I said ‘Yes,’” Kroon said. “So that’s how that came about.

Board members chose the ornaments and donors paid for them, Palmer said. Ornaments are $25 and all proceeds go toward the Bishop Dudley Hospital.

“The nice thing is that 100% of the benefits go right to our house, right to our shelter and kind of support our operations. Which is really important because those operations costs just continue to keep rising and it’s a really good way to support it,” Palmer said.

More: Sioux Falls Santa: 'Spreading joy year round'

Kroon a “certified Santa” through courses

Kroon has portrayed the character of Santa Claus for about 13 or 14 years, he said. Initially, he got a suit off a rack and did a few appearances. But, quickly that grew.

In 2010, Kroon went to Branson, Missouri, to take classes at the International Univestiy of Santa Claus (IUSC) for a program called School4Santas (S4S).

At IUSC, individuals learn key information about Santa Claus, the history and origins, how to take photos, how to act and more.

“You learn about the history of Santa, where he came from like back in Turkey, and some of the legends and stuff throughout the ages, different countries and all that kind of stuff,” Kroon said.

There, he earned his Bachelor of SantaClausology, which is given to individuals who attend the first live Schools4Santas. Then, in 2012, Kroon headed to Minneapolis, where he earned his master’s degree, which is given to an individual who completes two School4Santa courses.

In 2014, Kroon went on a cruise in Alaska, where he earned his advanced master’s, which is give to an individual who has attended more than three Schools4Santa.

Now, he’s focused on getting his Doctor of Santaclausology. To get that degree, an individual must have five or more years of experience and references, registered to attend their fourth school, earned an Advance Master’s diploma and have a selection committee review and approve their dissertation.

With a doctorate, Kroon said he’d be able to go to schools at no cost and would become a resource to the school.

“I do plan to go one more time,” Kroon said. “...I would like to do that.”

The International University of Santa Claus travels to different cities. This year, there were stops in Atlanta, Houston, Orlando, California and Idaho. The school, which started back in 2003, has issued nearly 4,800 diplomas, according to its website.

This year, Kroon has been busy. Not just in Sioux Falls, but around the area as well.

This year, he’s made, or is scheduled to make 120 appearances in the state. He was scheduled to appear at a Cabela’s in Mitchell this past week, but was ultimately canceled due to the inclement weather. He’s also made stops in Brookings, Dakota Dunes, Iowa, Worthington and surrounding smaller communities, he said.

It’s not just Christmas time either. Kroon started making stops in August, most notably for a child’s birthday party, he said.

Kroon also does home visits, which last about 40 minutes, he said. On Christmas Eve alone, he has 11, and 10 on Christmas Day. During his appearances, Kroon said he reads the children stories, puts them on the nice list, gives presents and more. He also uses two studios; one for the whole family, and another one called ‘Arctic Express,’ targeted towards children that’s based on “The Polar Express.”

And, Kroon has fully bought into the Santa persona. Not only is he known to most as Santa around town, but his car, a red Chrysler, has ‘SF SANTA’ plates and a Santa painting on the back. It’s his everyday car, he said.

“It’s probably one of the most recognized vehicles in Sioux Falls,” Kroon said.

In his tenth year as Sioux Falls Santa, Kroon expects to keep going, for as long as he can.

“I will until at some point. Unfortunately, there’s some Santas that don’t know when to retire,” Kroon said.

Bishop Dudley Hospitality House hopes to give people a start

The Bishop Dudley Hospitality House opened in January of 2015 as they saw a need for another solution for emergency shelter for the Sioux Falls’ homeless population.

Along with serving as a night shelter, the Bishop Dudley Hospital House serves lunch every single day, has community rooms, computers and phone access, showers, laundry, counseling and more.

Last year, in 2021, Bishop Dudley Hospitality House served 1,759 unique individuals, 52 families and 101 children. The hospitality house served more than 30,000 lunches last year.

“We also have seven family rooms, and then in addition to the shelters, we provide showers, we provide free laundry services and then we also work with a number of agencies, kind of getting them in houses, getting them resources. Everything from counseling to spiritual guidance, get people in for haircuts,” Palmer said. “We have a couple medical clinics every week, so more than just a place to stay, we hope this is a place for them to start and get the resources they need.”

The shelter is on a night-by-night basis the only one of its kind in the city, Palmer said and the shelter is usually at full capacity every night, which she noted was common during the winter months. Bishop Dudley Hospital House can hold up to 155 people, Palmer said.

Where to get ornaments

This year, Bishop Dudley Hospitality House is selling the commemorative ornaments at more stores, but currently, the Lewis locations seem to be the most popular, Palmer said. The ornaments are six-inches and metal.

The ornaments can also be shipped, by emailing info@bdhh.org for more information.

Locations

• Cliff Avenue Greenhouse and Garden Center

• Child's Play Toys Sioux Falls

• Nyberg's ACE

• CellOnly

• Josiah's Coffeehouse, Cafe and Bakery

• The State Theatre

• Grille 26

• Sticks and Steel

• The Spice & Tea Exchange

• Terra Shepherd Boutique and Apothecary

• Lewis Drug

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls Santa, Bishop Dudley House collaborate to benefit shelter