Big-Hearted Harley Riders Bring Toys to Hospitalized Children for Ninth Year

Sunday, November 18, 2007

New Brunswick, NJ – Approximately 100 members of a local motorcycle club brought toys and cheer to patients at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital today.

In its ninth year, the event was supposed to feature Santa Claus in a motorcycle sidecar, Mrs. Claus and elves singing Christmas carols, and rows of Harley Davidsons, but inclement weather forced a change plans.  Still, a generous truckload of toys made its way to the children’s hospital and patients enjoyed a visit from Santa.

The annual trek began in Rahway, home to the event’s organizer, the Liberty H.O.G. (Harley Owner’s Group) Chapter of Liberty Harley Davidson of Rahway.  The motorcade rode through Rahway, Woodbridge, Edison and Highland Park before arriving in New Brunswick, escorted by representatives of police departments from Bernards Township, Linden, Mountainside, Hanover, Westfield, Rahway, Essex County, Perth Amboy and Woodbridge.

At the hospital, Santa, Mrs. Claus and the elves visited the patients’ rooms and delivered an individual gift to each child, donated by members of the Liberty H.O.G. Rahway Chapter.  The riders also made a donation to the hospital itself – four DVD/VCR players for use in patient rooms.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.