Santa Claus is coming to Covington today, with the help of Audrey Gillespie, daughter-in-law of songwriter Haven Gillespie who wrote Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Ms. Gillespie and Cincinnati lawyer Stanley Chesley are donating $3,000 to pay for lunch and some toys for 350 Cincinnati Public School kids at a special Christmas party at the Radisson Cincinnati Riverview Hotel in Covington.

Karen Schupp and Helen Bisdorf, volunteer coordinators for Cincinnati Public Schools arranged for the party that will include kids in grades kindergarten to 3, from Sayler Park, McKinley in Columbia Tusculum; Rockdale Academy in Avondale and Heinold in Fairmount.

"Each child will receive a gift," Ms. Schupp said. "Eight mentally challenged students from Jacobs High School (Winton Place) will help serve the party. They will also receive gifts," Ms. Schupp said.

The Radisson donated its ballroom from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m for the party. Gifts come from Toys-R-Us and toy drives by Princeton High School, Sharonville and St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, Liberty Township. Ms. Schupp is a great niece of Haven Gillespie. Mr. Gillespie grew up in Covington and became famous when he wrote "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" in 1933.

Angela Taylor, a single mother who is legally blind and has four children, has been matched with the law firm of Kohnen and Patton through the Holiday Giving Program, sponsored by the Visiting Nurse Association.

The firm will help with holiday gifts for the family.

Her family is one of many matched with local companies, board members, management and employees through the Holiday Giving Program, now in its 32nd year.

VNA homemaking aides who help out with shopping and housekeeping will allow Ms. Taylor to remain independent and in her own home during the holidays.

VNA's staff of 300 home health care providers made more than 126,000 home visits last year. The agency provides health care services to the poor, uninsured and underinsured in Over-the-Rhine and West End. It also provides skilled nursing therapy and private duty services throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Lakeside Elementary students have raised $2,900 for the American Heart Association.

Students from kindergarten through the sixth grade raised the money doing "Jump Rope for Heart" exercises last month.

A metro bus delivered toys and gifts to 16 schools last week with Fifth Third Bank and the University of Cincinnati playing Santa Claus.

The schools were: Academy of World Languages, Chase Elementary, Central Fairmount, Gamble, Heinold, Hoffman, Linwood Academy, Millvale, North Fairmount, Oyler, Quebec Heights, Roselawn Condon, Sayler Park, Schiel Primary, Westwood and Winton Montessori.

Allen Howard's "Some Good News" column runs Sunday-Friday. If you have suggestions about outstanding achievements, or people who are uplifting to the Tristate, let him know at 768-8362, at ahoward@enquirer.com or by fax at 768-8340.