Toy Ride Kick-Starts Christmas
by Robert Mitchell
Motorcycle groups sometimes get an undeserved reputation as rough riders, but these cyclists from New Hampshire clearly have a soft spot for children.
The New Hampshire Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization (NHMRO) hosted its 43rd annual Toy Run for The Salvation Army in September with around 800 bikers cruising from Concord to Manchester and collecting more than 1,000 toys and a little over $1,000 to buy more presents. The program, which solely benefits The Salvation Army in Manchester, also has a host of corporate sponsors.
“They’re such a great organization,” said Major David Irwin, who leads The Salvation Army in Manchester. “When you’re going to be helping as many families as we are, it’s a great kick-start to your whole program for the season. It almost serves as a kettle kick-off. It gets everyone in the mood to get out there and help us come up with as many toys as we can for the young people. Everyone has such a great time.”
Irwin said The Salvation Army will help between 1,100 and 1,200 families this Christmas, including 3,000 children. The corps in Manchester is home to the iconic Kids’ Café after-school program, which draws hundreds of poor and immigrant children.
“Every time we get a donation like this, it’s much appreciated,” Irwin said.
Riding for a cause
NHMRO President Traci Beaurivage said the bikers are greeted by cheering crowds and flags during the 40-minute ride, and many onlookers donate toys. Leading the way is “Santa,” played by Nathan “Grizz” Kelly, who serves on NHMRO’s local board.
“Everybody brings toys or cash,” Beaurivage said. “It’s a phenomenal thing. It’s amazing how many people it helps.”
Irwin saw the Toy Run for the first time this year in a new appointment for him and his wife, Major Jessica Irwin.
“It’s fun to see all the different motorcycles,” Irwin said. “Some of them really get into the spirit and decorate their bikes. It’s great to see a community come together like this.”
Beaurivage said NHMRO was looking to help the community 43 years ago and linked up with The Salvation Army because not a lot of groups were helping children at Christmas. The event is named the JoAnne Packard Memorial Toy Run in honor of the woman who helped get it all started.
“It’s awful that a child would ever wake up and not have a Christmas,” Beaurivage said. “There’s no kid alive who should not have a Christmas. All kids believe in Santa. All adults want to believe in Santa. Not for materialistic reasons, but that innocent, loving belief in something good, and that’s what Santa and toys bring. Kids need something good to believe in that makes them happy. That’s why we do it and why we chose The Salvation Army, to be able to give the kids Christmas.”
Hearts of gold
Beaurivage, a Christian, said many of the 80,000 registered motorcyclists in her state share her faith and have a soft spot for children. The media caricatures are just not true, she added.
“Bikers have a much bigger heart than people know or give us credit for. Bikers are really heart-felt,” she said. “They’re flag-waving, patriotic people by nature. It’s about giving more than receiving and bikers believe that.”
Many bikers live by the saying, “Four wheels move your body, but two wheels move your soul.” Beaurivage sounded a similar theme when discussing her love of motorcycling.
“Riding a motorcycle for 99 percent of the bikers out there is truly who we are,” she said. “It’s not just a mode of transportation. We’re very freedom-loving. There’s doctors, there’s lawyers. I’m an entrepreneur.
“There’s a lot of really great people who just love the freedom of being on a motorcycle. It’s part of a lifestyle for us. The freedom part is getting something that makes you feel like you’re a bird, like you’re flying and you’re free. It’s an incredible feeling.”
Irwin gets a similar feeling, he said, when the first children start arriving around 4 p.m. each day for Kids’ Café.
“It’s fun to see the excitement on their faces,” he said. “We try to bring a little joy into their lives, and these gifts from the Toy Run will be the first toys out.”
Click here for more information on The Salvation Army in Manchester and the New Hampshire Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization.
