Big-hearted teen ‘Grinch’ spreading Christmas Cheer

By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com

Have you ever wondered what became of the Grinch after his heart grew three sizes that fateful Christmas day in Whoville?
Residents of the four boroughs of South Allegheny — Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port Vue — and other local communities such as McKeesport, White Oak and Belle Vernon, will tell you not to worry about the furry green character from Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” stealing your “roast beast” or scurrying to the top of Mount Crumpit in a sleigh filled with your Christmas gifts and decor.
The Grinch — known as Whoville’s former “stink, stank, stunk” mean one with termites in his teeth — has proven, despite the lyrics to “You’re a Mean one, Mr. Grinch,” that his heart isn’t filled with unwashed socks, that he is in fact cuddlier than a cactus and he is better company than a seasick crocodile.
He did so by bringing Christmas cheer to Mon Valley children and families this month.
Dakotah Morabeto, 17, of Glassport recently purchased a Grinch costume, and over the past month, has traveled to local homes, events and personal care homes to spread a little cheer through Grinchy mischief.
“It started by watching the movie and I just did a Grinch accent and my mom thought it was so good, so then she brought up the idea of dressing up like the Grinch and I was all for it,” said Dakotah, a South Allegheny junior who is a punter and wide receiver for the Gladiators football team and a catcher for the baseball team.
“He watched the movie the night before and he came downstairs and did the voice,” his mom Jennifer Morabeto said. “We had just heard Glassport had to cancel it’s Santa parade and a friend’s young daughter was upset, so I said ‘We should have you dress as The Grinch and go cheer people up.’”
Dakotah is finishing up his Grinch visits today and plans to spend Christmas Day with his mom, his dad Jay and his 13-year-old brother Connor.
“This is completely free. We bring them candy bags with candy donated by residents of the four boroughs,” Jennifer said, adding that she wanted to give a special shout out to Leslie Craine of Glassport, who donated “a lot” of candy and encouraged neighbors to do the same.
Although he can do a solid Grinch accent, Dakotah didn’t speak when he made the visits. That’s because he wears a face mask under his Grinch mask to do his best to follow coronavirus mitigation recommendations to prevent the spread of the virus. And with two masks on, it makes it hard to breathe and to speak.
“He doesn’t talk when he wears a mask, but he dances and moves like the Grinch,” Jennifer said, adding that her son picked up on and rehearsed physical mannerisms he observed from actor Jim Carrey’s portrayal of the beloved Dr. Seuss character.
In addition to dancing around, to bring the character to life, Dakotah caused harmless mischief at the homes he visited by doing things like turning picture frames sideways, removing Christmas bulbs from the tree and play wrestling with kids.
“It’s about whatever can make the kids laugh,” Dakotah said, adding that he means no harm by stirring up a few pranks.
Dakotah also found a way to have fun with people who have Ring video doorbells and surveillance cameras at their front door by dancing around in front of the camera and pressing his Grinch nose up against the camera so those he is visiting know he’s stopping by to have a good time.
In addition to wearing a face mask, Dakotah used Microban antimicrobial spray to sanitize the costume between each visit.
Those who didn’t want to come near the Grinch with a 39 ½ foot pole in an effort to practice social distancing still got the chance to meet the favorite holiday character because he offered socially-distanced visits.
While some decided to keep their distance and meet the Grinch through window visits, most people wanted to pose for photos with the Grinch, according to Jennifer.
Dakotah said most of the children he visited got a kick out of his Grinch portrayal.
“Most of the little kids between ages 5 and 8 are OK with it, but any kids younger are scared and like throw frying pans at me,” he said through laughter.
“We’ve only come across a couple kids in our visits that were scared of him,” his mom said.
Jennifer calls herself “the Grinch agent,” as she made the bookings for Dakotah’s visits this holiday season.
She said her son has been busy.
In addition to being a high school student and athlete, Dakotah works in construction for B.K. Homes of Peters Township.
Jennifer said her son made visits as frequently as he could — after school, before and after work and on weekends — and had very little time for himself this Christmas season.
The family said they’re grateful to the company Dakotah works for, which gave him a few shifts off this month when his bosses heard of his mission to spread cheer and remind neighbors that Christmastime is here.
As of Sunday, Dakotah had visited 80 homes and gave nearly 320 children a chance to have an encounter with the Grinch.
Dakotah wasn’t always alone in entertaining youngsters on his visits thanks to Albert Csorba, who made arrangements for Santa Claus to join the Grinch during weekend visits. He was also joined on some visits by Connor and by Ally Csorba, 13, who each dressed like elves.
“The kids get really excited when they meet the Grinch and Santa,” Jennifer said, adding that it’s also convenient to have Santa around.
“If a child is scared of the Grinch, Santa takes over and the Grinch steps aside,” she said. “If the kid is scared we let them know it’s the nice Grinch, and remind them that his heart grew three sizes by the end of the movie.”
In addition to visiting residential homes, the Grinch rode around Glassport and Port Vue on the back of Glassport Volunteer Fire Department and Vigilant Hose Co. of Port Vue fire rigs. He also visited a number of area senior care homes, daycares and a few area businesses.
Dakotah thinks he was successful in spreading the Christmas Spirit.
“It makes me feel good because in this time, people just need it,” he said.
Jennifer said that as a parent, she’s confident the parents are grateful that Dakotah provided holiday joy for their children in the age of COVID.
“A lot of parents’ reactions that I saw was that a lot of people have been emotional about it,” she said. “Sometimes the parents get into it more than the kids. I think it’s because he is bringing kids joy and happiness in a time when they really can’t have that right now.”
Asked if he plans to continue the Grinch visits next year, Dakotah said “most definitely.”
“I’m actually surprised he said that because with his schedule, with work and school and stuff, he is exhausted,” his mom said.
Jennifer said the pride she has for her son has her beaming from ear to ear.
“I’m really proud of him. We’re both really proud of him,” she said of herself and her husband. “The amount of work that it takes to do this, then to work, and then he has good grades on top of it. We’re very, very proud. There’s really no words that we can use to describe it.”
She said Dakotah has brought joy to a difficult year.
“It gives us Christmas cheer too,” she said. “It has given us something to look forward to, seeing the kids faces, how they react to him and what he does to make them smile. …You can actually see the Christmas spirit through their faces.”

Jordan Mitchell, 3, of McKeesport is shown with the “Grinch,” Dakotah Morabeto, 17, of Glassport, as he spreads Christmas cheer.
Submitted