Riding club donates toys to 'Kids in Crisis'
By TYRONE TONY REED JR.
ttreed@jacksonsun.com
Jul 31 2005
The Golden Circle Chapter of the Southern Cruisers Riding Club
distributed more than 2,000 teddy bears in the club's first annual
memorial Teddy Bear Run, which made a stop Saturday at the Wal-Mart
Supercenter on Emporium Drive in Jackson.
The run was organized to distribute teddy bears for the ''Kids in
Crisis Project'' operated by the sheriff, police, fire and EMT
departments in Haywood, Madison, Henderson and Decatur counties and
to raise money for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in
Memphis, according to Michael Winslow, a Jackson native and a member
of the Golden Circle Chapter.
The teddy bears will be used to help and comfort children dealing
with such traumatic situations as fires, murders or car accidents as
part of the ''Kids in Crisis Project,'' said Jackson Police Lt.
Cleven Davis.
''We use them to calm down a child,'' Davis said. ''(It helps
them) to feel secure so they will know everything is going to be all
right.''
The run was also held in memory of the late Steve ''Runt'' Hurley
of Parsons, a Southern Cruiser member who died of cancer in February,
Winslow said.
''For years, he had collected teddy bears and stuffed animals and
gave them to fire departments in the Parsons area,'' Winslow said.
''All the money raised here from our (raffle) ticket sales and
patch sales goes to St. Jude,'' he said. ''It's kind of a double
charity event for St. Jude and for the 'Kids in Crisis' program with
the law enforcement and EMT units.''
Participants, including motorcycle riders and motorists, traveled
in a caravan escorted by the counties' sheriff departments in the
daylong run.
Riders distributed four bags of teddy bears to each agency in
stops that began in Haywood County at 10 a.m. Saturday and continued
to Madison County and Henderson County before ending in Decatur
County at 2 p.m.
Charles Gutelius, who sported a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle teddy
bear on his motorcycle, said that his daughter gave him the teddy and
that he's riding to help children.
''I've been a member of the Southern Cruisers Riding Club for
probably four years now,'' Gutelius said. ''The main charitable
organization that they donate to is St. Jude.''
John Beckum, who lives in Oklahoma City, Okla., came down to
Jackson to ride with his wife, Nola, during the run.
''We came out and rode together,'' John Beckum said. ''I'm
enjoying myself.''
''We do these (runs) for the kids,'' Nola Beckum said. ''We raised
a little over $100,000 last year for St. Jude.''
The family-oriented club, now six years old, was founded by Rick
''Rickster'' Perry and has almost 30,000 members, with chapters in
various states and countries such as Canada, the Czech Republic and
Poland.
The Golden Circle, the local chapter of the riding club, sponsored
the event and plans to hold a run every year.
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