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Harley riders provide a merry Christmas for families in need

23rd annual Toy Run scores bounty for kids

If the 23rd annual Toy Run is any indication, Santa is trading in his sleigh for some wheels – motorcycle wheels, that is.

The event, sponsored by the Iron Horse Harley Owners Group Chapter, collects toys and raises cash for children at Christmas.

This year, toys will go to Project Merry Christmas, the Mercy Health Foundation for Kids in Need and the Volunteers of America Durango Community Shelter.

“The Durango community is pretty generous, particularly when they know what it’s for,” said Marie Ondrako who gathered raffle prizes and silent auction items from more than 100 area businesses for the event.

Sixty-five motorcyclists joined the run, along with numerous four-wheeled vehicles driven by those who found the day a little brisk for riding a motorcycle.

More than 170 people participated.

They gathered at Durango Harley-Davidson in the Bodo Industrial Park area for coffee and doughnuts before riding to the Durango Veteran of Foreign Wars Post No. 4031 for a raffle, silent auction and choice of red or green chile.

Everett Rike, 8, along with his twin sister, Avery, served as Santa’s helpers, ferrying toys to the Christmas tree.

“I wish that were my Christmas tree,” he said, looking at the hundreds of toys donated by participants.

In 2014, the event collected a pickup truck-load of toys that were taken to Project Merry Christmas, five large contractor bags of smaller toys and games for the Mercy Foundation for Children and a $4,000 donation to Kids in Mourning.

The total collected this year won’t be available until later in the week.

The event was founded by the Durango Chapter of ABATE, a motorcycle training and safety organization. The Iron Horse HOG Chapter assumed responsibility, organizer Jim Tencza said.

Riders came from around the Four Corners, he said.

“Everyone knows that on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we’re riding,” he said, “collecting for kids and eating chile. There may not be anyone who’s ridden all 23 years, but there are a lot of people who have ridden most of the 23 years.”

abutler@durangoherald.com



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