32 Years of Giving
Thirty two years ago a small group of guys who got together on Sundays to ride motorcycles decided to buy some toys and take them to the kids at Children’s Hospital. Now all these years later motorcyclists from all over the state of Colorado meet to ride to the Children’s Hospital in an escorted parade to deliver toys to the kids who are there. This day has become one of the most important days to not only current patients at Children’s but former ones as well as the staff of this very prestigious hospital. If you ask any of the participants they will unanimously agree it is the reason for the holiday season and many leave the hospital that day thankful for the experience!
The early years of the Toy Run began with Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson’s staff members staging the ride from their dealership and the larger it grew in attendance, their chapter of the Harley Owners Group became involved too. During these years when the ride departed from Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson in Englewood and wove through the streets of Denver to the Children’s Hospital when it was located there it was headed by Santa and Mrs Claus! Lon and Sandy Uncapher were instrumental in really solidifying this annual event and the additional “shopping trips “ made to insure the kids would receive the gifts on their wish list!
Photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain Harley Davidson
Because of the success of the Toy Run and the relocation of the new campus where the Children’s Hospital is located, Rocky Mountain Harley-Davidson while still heavily involved, invited the entire motorcycling community to be involved and it has become a metro-wide event. Every year, the attendance grows and No matter what the weather is that chilly morning, the Riders have come in cars, trucks and trailered their bikes that had the toys already on them. Nothing ever stops these bikers from making sure that these children have toys they need.
The Aurora Sports Park is now the gathering point and starting location for the parade to the Hospital.
Photo courtesy of Julie Powell
The gifts that are gathered that day are distributed to the current patients but some are kept for future patients throughout the year and given to them if they are there for an extreme procedure or spending their birthday or other holidays there instead of home. In addition to the Toy Run the Hospital also has a “SnowPile” event where current and former patients and their families are invited to select some presents for their children and are supplied paper and ribbons to wrap the gifts.
So many organizations are committed to this very worthwhile event, the BikerDown Foundation, several Fire Departments and their Wind and Fire Club, the Aurora Police Department, not to mention members of all the metro area HOG groups, and all the motorcycle enthusiasts in the Colorado region.
