One by one, happy Jefferson Elementary School students jumped out of minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks and gleefully accepted a new bicycle from a group of generous Mesa firefighters. Others ran to a pile of toys collected by a group of Mesa police officers, who seemed to enjoy handing out the gifts almost as much as the children who happily picked one and posed for pictures. No one would confuse the fit police officers and firefighters with a storybook version of Santa, but they served as a much-needed substitute. Those who coordinated the event â Jefferson Principal Genessee Montes and staff members, Mesa Councilman Dave Luna and public safety personnel â collectively gave a bright light at the end of a gloomy year for needy children who might have found nothing under the tree.