ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The holidays will be here before everyone knows it, but for some children, the season is not quite as jolly as it should be in terms of gifts.
To help with that, the Harbingers Motorcycle Club and the local Knights of Columbus chapter are teaming up for a Toys For Tots Fundraiser that will be taking place Saturday, Oct. 11. Registration will start at 10 a.m. at S&M Cycle Center at 1020 N. Kansas Ave., and the entry fee is a $20 toy. The first motorcycles will go out at 10:30 a.m. and the last ones will go out at 11 a.m., with a chili feed and raffle drawing taking place after the run at the Knights of Columbus hall at 323 N. Kansas Ave.
Coordinator James Starkey said he is excited for the event.
“It's for a great cause. Toys For Tots is to help children who might not otherwise have the brightest Christmas due to there being family struggles or whatever their circumstances are,” Starkey said. “I speak from experience with that because several years ago, my family and I were in a situation where times were really rough and we were struggling. I've worked all my life, but bills pile up and other expenses – my wife and children were sick, so there were medical bills and other bills that just kept coming, and that year, I was just not able to give my children the Christmas I thought they deserved. There was one day when some of the Knights and some other people showed up to my house with food and presents and some other items. Someone had put our names in because they knew we were struggling, and my children were able to have a decent Christmas that year. Having been on that side, it makes me want to give back, so this is a great chance. I know the Knights have struggled a bit the past few years with the motorcycle run and haven't had as much turnout as they would like, so we want to help change that and bring people back out for it. Everyone is welcome to come out that day and either volunteer or bring donations or just hang out. Motorcyclists are some of the most charitable people you'll ever meet, they absolutely love to help out whenever they can – we might look rough and gruff, but we're a bunch of softies at heart, especially when it comes to children. And I think we picked a good time for everything because as we all know, Kansas in October can be kind of hit-and-miss in terms of weather, and we do have a backup idea if the weather isn't quite what we want.”
Starkey said the Harbingers and Knights came together earlier this year.
“Every year, the Harbingers Motorcycle Club puts on a benefit poker run, typically around June, and the proceeds go to either a local charity or a local individual, depending on what the circumstances are,” Starkey said. “We've been able to donate quite a bit of money with those in the community, which we're happy to do. This past summer, we worked with the Knights of Columbus because I'd been talking to one of them and he said Toys For Tots hasn't had quite as much response these past couple years. I called him up, explained what we do, and we ended up partnering for that summer poker run and donated money so the Knights could buy toys for the program. A couple weeks after that, they called me and basically said 'How about doing the Toys For Tots run for us?' And we were all too happy to help with that.”
Starkey said he hopes to see lots of donations for this year’s run.
“If someone isn't able to attend the run but want to help, they can bring toy donations to S&M Cycle Center anytime during our business hours, which are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and we'll be happy to take your toy donation(s),” Starkey said. “And when it comes to the ride itself, quite frankly, we motorcyclists look for pretty much any excuse to ride and get in the wind. We have fun riding, but we're also more than happy to help out around the community and be there for people in need. I'm excited to see everyone who turns out. Every time we do an event or have some type of get-together, I love seeing all the motorcycles and seeing that community support. To me, there's nothing cooler than seeing a parking lot just full of motorcycles – I see it all the time and it just makes my heart happy. It's great to see people coming out and supporting each other.”
With that in mind, Starkey said he and others in his group are not exactly remaining silent about the event.
“We have been putting flyers up around town, and I plan on going to a few other communities in the area and putting some flyers up there as well. We've also mentioned the event on our social media pages, including the S&M Cycle Center page on Facebook, and our followers are good at sharing what we're doing, especially with something like this,” Starkey said. “We also talked about it at the recent Liberal Ministerial Alliance block party and even had four or five families bring some toys to that, so we've already got a bit of a head start, which is great. We want to push this as much as we can, because we want as many people to participate as possible.”
Overall, Starkey said, he hopes the run will be successful.
“I'm hoping we'll see really good turnout, and I hope everyone who shows up will have a good time both on the road and at the chili feed afterward,” Starkey said. “I have to give a big 'Thank you' to the Knights of Columbus for reaching out to us and wanting to partner with us for a good cause. I also have to thank the community for its support, I've already gotten some toy donations and good feedback/questions about the itinerary for that day, so I feel like we're definitely getting the word out and in a good way. I'm just expecting it to be a really good time.”
