MARSHFIELD, Wis. (WSAU-WDLB) — The Harley-Davidson motorcycle club of Wausau held its 2nd annual Christmas in July toy drive on Saturday, where organizers used donations to bring Christmas presents from the Wausau area to sick and injured children in Marshfield.
The donors and others rode their Harley’s from Wausau to Marshfield, then handed out the Christmas presents.
St. Joseph’s Hospital Child Life Services Manager Heidi Giese said the event was also used to raise money to help purchase equipment that will be used to help kids deal with their hospitalizations, including specialized puppets to demonstrate treatments.
She said, “If there’s a child that’s diagnosed with cancer, and they have to have a central line placed, we can actually show them what a central line looks like on the puppet and actually work through it with them before they have to get one to help them and their families understand what’s going to be happening.”
The puppets are said to cost around $8,000, with different adaptations for different situations.
Giese says specialized teaching dolls go a long way in easing the nervousness that kids and their parents are facing on a daily basis.
“They definitely help people understand better what’s going on and allow us to explain to a child at their developmental level what’s happening so that they’re not so scared, which is really important,” said Giese.
Organizer Greg Cemke had about 60 other riders join him on Saturday’s trip. The first event last year raised about 10-thousand dollars plus lots of toys. Cemke hopes to make it an annual event.
By Mike Warren, WDLB.
