Final Tucker’s Toy Run to deliver thousands of toys to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital
Rick Nauman is preparing for the 15th and final edition of Tucker’s Toy Run, an annual motorcycle fundraiser that has brought smiles and more than 60,000 toys to pediatric patients at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital since its inception in 2011.
The ride is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 1, with a rain date of Sunday, Nov. 2, and Nauman expects around 1,000 motorcycles to participate in delivering toys to St. Luke’s Bethlehem Campus in Fountain Hill. The event honors the life of Tucker Stuart, who died in a motorcycle accident in 2011.
“We never knew how to do any of this stuff,” Nauman said of starting Tucker’s Toy Run. “Now it’s hands-down the biggest motorcycle ride in the Lehigh Valley. I hope we have inspired people to take a chance to do something if they feel like they want to be able to give back to the community.
“You have to trip and stumble a couple of times before you land on your feet. But it’s a feel-good thing.”
Nauman recalled about 60 motorcycles participating in the inaugural ride. Over the past 15 years, he and a small group of volunteers have expanded the event, which now includes an annual Harley-Davidson raffle.
“St. Luke’s is profoundly grateful for the support Tucker’s Toy Run has provided over the years,” said St. Luke’s Bethlehem Campus President Wendy Lazo. “Being admitted to the hospital can be overwhelming for anyone, especially a child. These gifts make the children feel comfortable and their experience a little less scary.”
Nauman is hoping for dry, warm weather to encourage a strong turnout from the local motorcycle community and spectators along the route.
“When we see the smiles on the kids’ faces and the staff at the hospital and everything, it’s going to be an emotional day for me for sure,” Nauman said. “It’s going to be hard to walk away from it.
“I just hope people will remember everything we’ve done for the hospital.”
