SI Advance

Santa Claus was spotted all over Staten Island yesterday, but it seems he left the sled and reindeer back at the North Pole. Instead, he opted for other modes of transportation, from a bucket truck to a city bus and even a mattress delivery truck.

It was all in the name of bringing holiday cheer to the borough's children.

At two separate events, the youngest patients in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, were the beneficiaries of thousands of dollars' worth of presents from the crew from Kids Against Cancer, along with the Transit Authority, and the men of Engine Co. 155/Ladder Co. 78, New Brighton.

Santa's Express -- really a city bus -- pulled into the hospital parking lot early yesterday morning, loaded with toys, decked with garland and carrying members of Kids Against Cancer, the Transit Authority and, of course, Santa Claus (played by Mike Burmeister).

Employees of the Island's two bus depots and the Staten Island Railway collect the toys each year to distribute to sick and needy kids across the borough.

"I tried to get a little more involved this year," said Annadale resident Joe Obermaier, who works out of the Yukon Avenue depot. "When you have healthy kids, you're thankful."

At about the same time, the firefighters -- led by Lt. Robert Ryan and Firefighters Tim Liss, Doug Huebler and Richard LaPiedra -- jammed a conference room with toys to benefit the hospital's pediatric burn patients. Firefighter Al Breslow hand-crafted a bright red toy chest, in the likeness of a fire truck, to hold the bounty.

"For all those kids who really don't have a voice, I want to express my thanks," said Dr. Jerome Finkelstein, the burn center director. "You really are doing a wonderful thing, not just for us and Staten Island and the city, but for the kids."

The men from the engine and ladder company, dubbed the "Hot Corner," visited all the firehouses of Division 8 -- which comprises Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn -- to educate them about the burn unit and to collect toys and funds.

At the ceremony, they also presented the burn unit with a check for $8,000.

The hospital also received a $6,000 check from the LaPiedra Family Firefighters Memorial Fund in memory of Scott LaPiedra, who was fatally injured in an East New York fire in 1998 as he tried to save a woman thought to be trapped in a burning bedroom. Since LaPiedra's death, his family has donated nearly $150,000 to the burn center.

The kids at University Hospital weren't the only ones benefiting from holiday magic yesterday.

A city Sanitation Department "gator" -- a small vehicle used to remove snow and ice from city streets -- arrived at St. Vincent's Hospital in West Brighton to dispatch toys to the pediatric patients.

Sanitation employees collected toys and funds for "New York City's Strongest/Billy Fund" drive and delivered them citywide at hospitals, shelters, after-school centers and youth programs. This year, they distributed more than 2,400 toys.

At PS 44, the school day began a little differently for 110 kindergarten students. A truck from 1-800-Mattress pulled up, but there were no mattresses in sight. Instead, the truck served as Santa's sled for the day.

As part of its "Letter to Santa" program, 1-800-Mattress employees sifted through notes written by the school's students to ensure each child got exactly what he or she asked for this holiday season.

Jose Vicens stepped out of the truck dressed as Santa, surprising the children, who had no idea yesterday would be anything but an ordinary school day. Santa and his elves also surprised the pre-kindergarten students with stockings filled with hats, gloves, crayons and coloring books.

After leaving the mattress truck behind, Santa once again ditched his usual transport in favor of a Consolidated Edison bucket truck. He headed to St. Philip's Baptist Church in Port Richmond to deliver presents to the children from the church and from Project Hospitality.

Con Ed's toy drive reaped more than 200 gifts for children of several organizations, including the Seamen's Society for Children and Families and University Hospital.

Later in the day, students from PS 46, South Beach, had a meet-and-greet with St. Nick in Italianissimo Restaurant, also in South Beach, courtesy of Frank Petruzzi of Richmond Tours.

Petruzzi raised more than $6,000 to shower students of PS 46 with gifts. Also benefiting from his toy drive will be students of PS 121 in Queens. He called the city Department of Education to find the best schools and asked his friend, Firefighter Joe Perk, to don the Santa suit.

Other holiday events yesterday included distribution of food by Joan Cupo and the Episcopal Feeding Ministry, Willowbrook; a party for the children served by the Administration for Children's Services, Staten Island Field Office at Brighton Heights Reformed Church; a holiday dinner at Project Hospitality's Community Services Center in Stapleton, and the distribution of food baskets and toys by Staten Island Support Our Soldiers to military families at Fort Wadsworth.