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

Monday, November 22, 2004

New Brunswick - A 200-motorcycle motorcade brought toys and cheer to patients at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital yesterday.

In its sixth year, the event featured Santa Claus in a motorcycle sidecar, Mrs. Claus and elves singing Christmas carols, and rows of Harley Davidsons, followed by a truckload of toys. The riders were escorted by the NJ Port Authority Police, Edison Police Department, New Brunswick Police Department, Jersey City Police Department, Union County Police Department and the Essex County Sheriff's Department, who wore antlers on their helmets.

The Liberty H.O.G. (Harley Owner's Group) Chapter of Liberty Harley Davidson of Rahway organized the Toy Run. Beginning at the chapter's headquarters in Rahway, the motorcade rode through Iselin, Edison and Highland Park into New Brunswick.

After arrival at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the riders held a brief presentation in the hospital rotunda where they donated a variety of Xbox video games to the children's hospital.

Immediately following this presentation, Santa, Mrs. Claus and the elves visited the patient's rooms, delivering an individual gift to each child. Members of the Liberty H.O.G. Chapter participating in the Toy Run donated the gifts. Following the event, the motorcyclists were escorted to the American Legion Hall in Rahway for a Holiday Dinner.

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.

Attention members of the media: For more information on this release, please contact the Department of Public Relations (732) 937-8521.