This Sunday, November 6, 2011, thousands of motorcycles will descend on Philadelphia for the 31st Annual Toy Run sponsored by the Delaware Valley A.B.A.T.E. (Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education) and the Greater Philadelphia Traditions Fund.
The Toy Run will run from Delaware Avenue and Spring Garden to the S and T lots on the West side of Citizens Bank Park where thousands of toys will be dropped off and collected by Drexel University for distribution as part of its annual Holiday Toy Drive. Drexel University has been conducting an annual Holiday Toy Drive to collect and distribute toys to needy Philadelphia children since 1996.
A smaller contingent of motorcycles will then proceed from Citizens Bank Park to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for presentation to patients and medical staff.
The new routing scheme reflects the need to maintain uninhibited access to CHOP for its patients and emergency medical vehicles – access that had become compromised with the success of the Toy Drive and the thousands of motorcycles it brought onto Civic Center Boulevard in recent years.
Congressman Brady said, “Spending time and effort to put a smile on a sick child’s face is the best part of my job. I want to thank all the parties for coming together and developing a plan for the Toy Drive that keeps toys flowing to these kids at CHOP without compromising CHOP’s ability to handle medical emergency vehicles at all times.”
Congressman Brady continued, “I want to thank CHOP and Drexel University for working together to make this solution one that works not only for the families of CHOP but for families throughout the Delaware Valley.”
Dr. Steven Altschuler, President and CEO of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) said, “Congressman Brady is a long time friend of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and we thank him for stepping in and brokering a solution. His ability to bring all the parties together to find a way to keep the Toy Run while preserving CHOP’s ability to serve the needs of our patients will make this Sunday a great day for the children and families we serve.”
John Fry, President of Drexel University, said, “Drexel is proud to be a part of this great Philadelphia tradition. We look forward to working with Delaware Valley A.B.A.T.E. and the Greater Philadelphia Traditions Fund to get these toys distributed to needy families throughout our community.”
Denny Waldman of Delaware Valley A.B.A.T.E. said, “A week ago there was no Toy Drive. Today, it is bigger and better than ever. Thank you Congressman Bob Brady, CHOP, and Drexel University for providing the volunteer support and distribution infrastructure to deal with the thousands of new unwrapped toys that our Toy Drive will deliver to Citizens Bank Park.”
Waldman continued, “This could not have happened without the Phillies stepping up to the plate to provide a staging area for our toy drop-off and without the leadership of Mayor Michael Nutter, the Managing Director’s Office, and the Philadelphia Police Department. We greatly appreciate all of their efforts.”
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