200 Special Santas Arrive by Motorcycle

You could hear them coming from a distance; you could feel the ground begin to shake. Then you saw them--miles and miles of motorcycles rumbling down the Ventura Freeway on Sunday.

And leading the sea of more than 200 bikers was Mickey Jones of “Home Improvement.”

With toys strapped to their decorated bikes, members of the ABATE motorcycle club met at Mark’s Custom Cycle Shop in Ventura, then roared to Camarillo where they delivered nearly 1,000 toys to children who were victims of domestic violence or abuse.

Members of A Brotherhood Aimed Toward Education donated such things as teddy bears and dolls to Interface Children Family Services and its Child Abuse and Neglect program. This was their 12th annual toy drive.

“They came to us 12 years ago because they had a need for their kids,” said club leader Scott McCool, editor of Easy Rider magazine. “And we have helped them ever since.”

Ventura County’s group, which includes local chapters from Ojai, Ventura and Thousand Oaks, also contributed $1,000 to the nonprofit organization earlier this month and hoped to raise an additional $600 Sunday at a swap meet at the Ventura County Fairgrounds after the toy drive.

“A lot of these kids aren’t going to experience the kind of Christmas other families and children will--especially those that come from broken homes or dysfunctional families,” McCool said. “It’s nice to give somebody in need something they normally wouldn’t get.”

Since 1985, ABATE has contributed about $200,000 in toys, clothing and bicycles and an additional $20,000 in cash to Interface.

Interface staff members will match the toys with children and deliver the toys this week.

“Frequently, what we’ll do is have the parents wrap the present so they can give it to the children,” said Chris Rutter of Interface. “It makes them feel like they’re participating in this, and that it’s not just a handout.

“Many parents have told us that they would not have been able to get anything for their child this Christmas,” Rutter said. “So this is really meeting a need.”