April Darchicourt, shown with son Ian, started the Toy Ride to thank Kennedy Krieger for the care provided for daughter Kara. (Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum / October 9, 2009) |
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April Darchicourt wanted to do something to celebrate the care her daughter received at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
"They did not treat us like an assembly line," she said, recalling that her daughter, Kara, would be 15 this year had she survived cerebral palsy. She died of a seizure in 1999.
Each year, Darchicourt, an Edgemere-area homemaker who describes herself as a "domestic goddess," and her husband, Tom, who runs a home improvement business, organize hundreds of motorcyclists for a charity event that brings some excitement to the children being treated at Kennedy Krieger. They recruit through word of mouth, fliers, news media attention and Facebook.
The bikers buy toys, the brighter and noisier the better, gather at the Harley-Davidson/Buell store near Rosedale off Pulaski Highway and then ride to Kennedy Krieger's Greenspring Avenue campus.
Kennedy Krieger's 11th Annual Toy Run takes place Oct. 18, and as many as 500 motorcyclists are expected to attend, some coming from as far away as Pennsylvania to distribute their gifts, rain or shine.
"I open my house to them. We call it couch surfing," Darchicourt said.
One of the original riders is Barry Zoeller, who owns an Edgewood custom cycle shop. He uses a wheelchair to get around after he broke his back when he fell off a lift while working on a car.
"I ride a motorized tricycle," he said. "Being in a chair myself, I know where the children are. It's a good feeling to help out. If the parents say it's OK, I'll give the children a ride."
Darchicourt founded the drive in 1999, about six months after Kara's death. She and her husband had been enthusiastic members of Baltimore's cycle world and belonged to groups associated with Harley Davidson. They own 12 bikes.
Nearly 100 bikers turned out the first year. The next year, it was more than 200.
"We were only expecting 25 the first year," Darchicourt said
The entire Darchicourt family helps with the event, including daughters Rachel, 23, and Heather, 21, as well as son Ian, 17.
The toys are donated to departments, school programs and outpatient clinics at Kennedy Krieger, which aids children and adolescents with brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal disorders. The event's organizers said that since it began, the Toy Run has raised more than $16,000 in funds and toys. About $1,500 to $2,000 arrives in cash each year.
Darchicourt said she saw a need for toys when Kara was a Kennedy Krieger patient. The holidays are a tough time for a child to be in a medical facility, and anything that brings a smile helps. The ride was originally staged in the early winter, but it has since been moved to the fall.
Darchicourt traditionally leads the column of bikers. In her saddlebag, she carries a picture of Kara.
"I ride with a smile on my face. And with a happy cry as I look in my rear-view mirror at those behind me," she said.
"They did not treat us like an assembly line," she said, recalling that her daughter, Kara, would be 15 this year had she survived cerebral palsy. She died of a seizure in 1999.
Each year, Darchicourt, an Edgemere-area homemaker who describes herself as a "domestic goddess," and her husband, Tom, who runs a home improvement business, organize hundreds of motorcyclists for a charity event that brings some excitement to the children being treated at Kennedy Krieger. They recruit through word of mouth, fliers, news media attention and Facebook.
The bikers buy toys, the brighter and noisier the better, gather at the Harley-Davidson/Buell store near Rosedale off Pulaski Highway and then ride to Kennedy Krieger's Greenspring Avenue campus.
Kennedy Krieger's 11th Annual Toy Run takes place Oct. 18, and as many as 500 motorcyclists are expected to attend, some coming from as far away as Pennsylvania to distribute their gifts, rain or shine.
"I open my house to them. We call it couch surfing," Darchicourt said.
One of the original riders is Barry Zoeller, who owns an Edgewood custom cycle shop. He uses a wheelchair to get around after he broke his back when he fell off a lift while working on a car.
"I ride a motorized tricycle," he said. "Being in a chair myself, I know where the children are. It's a good feeling to help out. If the parents say it's OK, I'll give the children a ride."
Darchicourt founded the drive in 1999, about six months after Kara's death. She and her husband had been enthusiastic members of Baltimore's cycle world and belonged to groups associated with Harley Davidson. They own 12 bikes.
Nearly 100 bikers turned out the first year. The next year, it was more than 200.
"We were only expecting 25 the first year," Darchicourt said
The entire Darchicourt family helps with the event, including daughters Rachel, 23, and Heather, 21, as well as son Ian, 17.
The toys are donated to departments, school programs and outpatient clinics at Kennedy Krieger, which aids children and adolescents with brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal disorders. The event's organizers said that since it began, the Toy Run has raised more than $16,000 in funds and toys. About $1,500 to $2,000 arrives in cash each year.
Darchicourt said she saw a need for toys when Kara was a Kennedy Krieger patient. The holidays are a tough time for a child to be in a medical facility, and anything that brings a smile helps. The ride was originally staged in the early winter, but it has since been moved to the fall.
Darchicourt traditionally leads the column of bikers. In her saddlebag, she carries a picture of Kara.
"I ride with a smile on my face. And with a happy cry as I look in my rear-view mirror at those behind me," she said.
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