Motorcycle group donates time, money to ACC

Jacob, a child who resides at the Anne Carlsen Center, meets Santa Claus last July during the Christmas in July event put on the Individuals’ Motorcycle Club.

A Jamestown motorcycle group presented the Anne Carlsen Center (ACC) with a check for $1,500 in October. The money was collected in connection with the groups’ annual ride and Christmas in July events.

Each July for the past 11 years, the Ladies’ and Men’s Individuals Motorcycle Clubs spread a little cheer to students at the Center with a holiday celebration. The two groups, complete with a Harley-riding Santa Claus, arrive at ACC on the third Saturday morning of the month.

“When we pull in, the kids are applauding,” said Penny Lee, the Vice President of the Ladies Individuals Motorcycle Club. “They love to see the motorcycles coming and they come and greet you.”

“When the kids see everyone come in on their bikes, they get so excited,” said Shelley Nannenga, the Anne Carlsen Center’s Planned Giving Specialist. “They can feel the vibration of the bikes. And you can just tell they love seeing Santa Claus.”

The jolly bikers present children with stockings full of gifts. This year, a total of 57 stockings were given out – one for each student at the Center. The bikers also spend time with the children, playing with toys or showing the youngsters their motorcycles.

“We have a lot of bike clubs that have been coming for years to support our club and the Anne Carlsen Center,” said Lee. “You would be surprised how many of the bikers are always looking forward to this event. They come down and spend time with the kids, and they really like that.”

After the visit to ACC, the bikers take their motorcycles to the open road, going on a run between 100 and 150 miles, depending on which roads are open. The run route makes stops in communities around Jamestown and donations are collected from the run’s participants and in towns along the way. The donations, along with the registration fees for the event, are later presented to the Center.

The Individuals have also recently been presented with a leaf on the Anne Carlsen Center’s Donor Tree, representing a cumulative gift of more than $5,000.

“They all have such big hearts and are so generous,” said Nannenga. “Not only with gifts, but with their time. They are such an active group. They are not just donors, they are dear friends.”

Members of Individuals Motorcycle Clubs have been especially busy in recent years, building the gazebo that stands in front of the Center, constructing arbors in the garden, and donating pizzas for the children during the Center’s annual Halloween party. They have also fixed, cleaned and maintained the pond and nature area near the Center.

“It takes all of us to pull it all together,” said Lee. “It is not just one person – it takes everybody.”

Lee encourages others to visit the Anne Carlsen Center and spend time with the students.

“You have to come down to the school and be with the children,” said Lee. “They are so wonderful, and they and the staff make you feel so welcome. The activities that the kids are involved in … you can see they are so full of life and they are so happy. They are a great group of children.”

The Individuals Motorcycle Clubs presented the Anne Carlsen Center with a donation for $1,500 recently. The Individuals have received a leaf on the Center’s Donor Tree, representing a combined gift of more than $5,000.