Bikers making toy delivery to sick children
Published: July 30, 2005
They wear dark clothes and sunglasses. They sport facial hair and hang out at bars. And when they travel, they are among the noisiest motorists on the road.
Yet, motorcyclists have a sensitive side tucked under their bad-boy image.
Local roads will be swarming today with bikers hauling toy donations in trailers to kids in the Child Life Division of Lehigh Valley Hospital near Allentown. Christmas in July is an annual event put together by Dr. Leo McCormick, a motorcycle enthusiast and chiropractor in Pottstown. Organizers of the event are expecting about 200 motorcycles to depart from North Coventry Elementary School at 9:30 a.m.
“We should have 200 riders at least,” said David “Rock” Miller, a member of the American Gold Wing Association. “We’re expecting guys from the Blue Knights, the Red Knights, the American Road Riders Association, the Reading Motorcycle Club. It should be a really big outfit.”
Miller took part in the event last year, after he heard about the idea from McCormick, his chiropractor. Last year, 43 motorcycles transported toys to Children Youth Services in West Chester.
“We had only two weeks notice to put it together last year and no one really knew what to expect, but this year we’ve had all year to prepare,” Miller said. “It’s going to be a great time, and it’s for kids. We’re going to have all kinds of different bikes, big, little, you name it. I’m going to be riding a trike.”
McCormick is cutting his vacation short to be on hand for today’s run.
“It’s going to be crazy,” said Lisa Weir, McCormick’s assistant. “We’ve been getting calls left and right. It should be a lot of fun, I just wish I had a bike.”
This will be the fifth Christmas in July event McCormick has organized since moving to Pottstown. Prior to that, he put something together every year from his former office in Wayne. To collect toys, he makes a pretty tempting offer.
“We offer free services to patients that bring in toy donations,” Weir said. “Toys-R-Us gave a $200 donation of toys. We’ve got a whole slew of toys sitting around the office and downstairs in the basement. This whole thing is bigger than we thought.”
McCormick is even getting help from the North Coventry Police Department.
“(McCormick) has done something for the kids for as long as he’s been in town,” Cpl. Andrew Zinger said. “He’d give us toys to donate wherever we saw fit, but we always ended up giving them to the fire company because they knew more people than us.
“Eventually, McCormick got together with us and said, ‘Hey, is there any way we could do some sort of a big toy run?’ A lot of suggestions came up and then we came upon this.”
West Chester’s Children Youth Services was not accepting donations this year, so McCormick and Zinger turned to the hospital, which was more than willing to accept the toys.
McCormick has a motorcycle and will ride today. Zinger will also be on hand with his bike.
“We’ll be there to help out with traffic control and just to make a nice day out of it. This is his baby. We’re more than happy to help out anybody that wants to donate a toy.”
Zinger is hopeful he can continue riding in the event each year, but there are some obstacles in the way.
“Our lease (with the motorcycles) is up at the end of the month,” Zinger said. “We do a lot of different runs with our bikes. Hopefully, we get something worked out.”
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