Thunder Roads Magazine of Oklahoma/Arkansas January 2016 | Page 14

EVENTS

BOB STOOPS TOY RUN

Delivering Joy To Children And Families
Christmas is a wonderful time for most children
and their families. However, there are a number of
families who cannot provide for their children due
to childhood, life-threatening illnesses which have
affected or devastated their finances. Thankfully,
a large group of motorcyclists have joined forces
with Bob Stoops Champions Foundation, Toby
Keith Foundation’s OK Kids Korral and Fort
Thunder Harley-Davidson to make up for this
financial hardship. These many caring individuals
work together to fill a list, created by Bob Stoops
of young patients in need and their Christmas Wish
Lists. Bob Stoops spends many hours throughout
the year making regular visits to children with
cancer. He calls these children “Champions”
considering the fight they have to fight against
this devastating disease. Bob Stoops Champions
Foundation purchase, wrap the gifts on the list,
gather a group of motorcyclists and Santa for a
toy run like none other. The motorcyclists and
Santa deliver the purchased gifts to the patients
by a motorcycle parade to the children’s homes,
OK Kids Corral or other public location in the
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Thunder Roads Magazine of OK/AR

Oklahoma City area.
The look on the children’s faces as a few
hundred motorcyclists pull up to their homes, get
off their bikes, fill their arms with gifts and escort
Santa up to them, is priceless. The children and
their families are showered with gifts, hugs, well
wishes and laughter as the many riders take a few
minutes with each family. One of the children had
just gotten out of the hospital so we met him at
the OK Kids Korral which is a cost-free home for
pediatric cancer patients and their families to stay
while they are undergoing treatments for cancer.
The riders spent a bit of time touring some of the
Korral while meeting many of it’s occupant families.
At this stop, an extra special presentation was made
by one of the many run organizers, Timmy Smith,
and builder Russell James of Iron Kartel Designs,
who found and rebuilt a beautiful carnival ride type
motorcycle to be placed at the Korral permanently
for children to sit upon.
The ride was presented by Bob Stoops
Champions Foundation. This foundation was
created by University of Oklahoma head football