We all love our toys - adults and kids alike. For the 31st year, Toys for Kids Motorcycle Parade is asking motorcyclists to ride their “big toys” loaded with toys to bring joy to kids throughout Dona Ana County.
The parade will take place on November 20, 2011. Motorcyclists will gather and register at Mesilla Valley Mall beginning at 9:00 a.m. and registration at the Mall will remain open until 11:30. The parade will leave the mall at noon sharp.* To participate in the parade, motorcycles must be street legal, registered and insured. The parade will end at Dickerson’s Event Center where food, music, door prizes, vendors, a bike show and a grand prize drawing await. Music will be provided by Saturday Nite Special. If you don’t have a motorcycle, join us at Dickerson’s anyway! A donation of $10 and a new toy valued at $7.00 or more per person gets you a meal and two beverages, plus the chance to win a door prize or the grand prize of a $500 gift certificate from Las Cruces Motorsports.
The primary beneficiary of the Toys for Kids Motorcycle Parade is Tresco TOTS, the only non-profit early intervention agency in southern New Mexico. TOTS provides physical, occupational, speech and developmental therapy, among other services, to children from birth to three years of age who have, or are at risk for developmental delays. So, toys that encourage the development of fine and gross motor skills, language, thinking, music, and creativity are great choices. Many other agencies in the area have received toys from the TFK Parade. Last year Dona Ana Health and Services Division hosted many parties throughout the county; many of the toys were donated from this event. Gospel Rescue Mission, La Pinon, Respite Care, Sensory Kids, and Jesse’s Bikes for Tykes also received toys in 2010. Coats for Kids, Prison Family Services, Mesilla Valley Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Santa’s Helper Program, Salvation Army, Mesquite Community Center, San Andres and Las Cruces High School GRADS Programs, FYI Girls and Boys Shelters, La Clinica de Familia Healthy Start, and Valley View Multiple Disabilities Parents Committee received cash donations to provide happier holidays for the children in their programs.
If you’d like to donate toys but are unable to make it on November 20th, you can drop off toys at Tresco TOTS, 2325 E Nevada or Wheelsport, 105 Hanks Dr. in Mesilla Park.
The parade route has been approved. The parade leaves the southwest corner of Mesilla Valley Mall and heads south on Don Roser, west on Missouri, north on Valley to Picacho, and west on Picacho to Dickerson's Event Center.
