News Releases

Santa Claus is Coming to Town! Riding his Harley to Benefit The Children’s Inn at NIH

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Wednesday, December 11, Santa will come to Montgomery County riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle during the Police Department’s annual Santa Ride that benefits The Children’s Inn at NIH.  The Department invites residents to stop at any of the predetermined locations to visit with Santa and his motor officer elves.

WHAT: SANTA RIDE TO BENEFIT THE CHILDREN’S INN AT NIH

Santa and his elves (aka: motor officers) will travel throughout the county on their motorcycles as they make their way to bring gifts and donations from local businesses and organizations to the children and families at The Children’s Inn at NIH (National Institutes of Health).  While at the Inn, officers will help the children choose presents for their family members at a gift shop.

"The Children’s Inn at NIH is a residential “Place Like Home’’ for families with children participating in leading-edge research studies at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. The NIH Clinical Center is the nation’s premier biomedical research hospital, providing an opportunity for our residents to be partners in advancing medical discoveries and improving the health of people all over the world. While the NIH takes care of the child’s medical needs, The Inn tends to the child’s heart, soul and spirit."

For more information about The Children’s Inn, visit childrensinn.org or follow us on social media at  — Facebook: @TheChildrensInn; Twitter: @TheChildrensInn; Instagram: @thechildrensinn” – The Children’s Inn at NIH

WHEN: Wednesday, December 11, 2019

WHERE:

Starting Location
5th District (Germantown) Station	20000 Aircraft Drive, Germantown	Leaving at 10:00 a.m.
SCHEDULE:Destination	Address	Arrival Time
Upcounty Regional Services Center	12900 Middlebrook Road, Germantown	10:05 a.m.
Public Safety Headquarters	100 Edison Park Drive, Gaithersburg	10:45 a.m.
RIO Washingtonian Center (Target)	25 Grand Corner Avenue, Gaithersburg	11:15 a.m.
	(Lunch)
Fair Hill Plaza – Olney Town Center (near fountain)	18169 Town Center Drive, Olney	2:30 p.m.
Ellsworth Drive near Starbucks	915 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring	3:10 p.m.
Pike & Rose shopping center	11580 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda	3:50 p.m.
The Children’s Inn at NIH	Private event – Patients only	4:30 p.m.

*Santa will do his very best to stay on schedule but please note that all times are approximate.  Please follow the Department on Twitter @mcpnews during the Santa Ride for any changes to the schedule.

In the past, residents have inquired why the Santa Ride cannot begin at night so that school children may have a better opportunity to see Santa.  Please know that the ultimate goal of this ride is to meet with the families of NIH, so we need to make sure that we arrive at the Inn at a reasonable hour and that Santa has time to talk with all of the children there.  We appreciate your understanding.

HOW TO DONATE:

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November 18, 2019

To Whom It May Concern:

The Montgomery County Police Department, in association with other law enforcement offices within the county are valued partners in the annual “Santa’s Escort Ride” to benefit The Children’s Inn at NIH. The procession of over 30 uniformed policemen led by Santa on a Harley has become a highlight of the holiday season for the last several years. The charity ride has even captured the attention of many media outlets.

The Children's Inn is a private, nonprofit, family-centered residence for pediatric patients at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its purpose is to allow children and their families to stay together while participating in clincal research studies at the NIH, reduce the burden of illness on the patient and their support system and facilitate the healing process through mutual support. In fiscal year 2019, more than 1,500 families came from 50 states and 94 countries to stay at The Inn. Families do not pay to stay at the Inn; we rely solely on private contributions to sustain our operations.

All donations raised from this event will help support operational expenses as well as programs for the entire family. These services include recreational, therapeutic, wellness, and educational programming. Each one designed to build community and wellbeing among residents and to provide children and families a natural opportunity to meet and make friends with others going through similar experiences.

We are hoping you will be able to donate to this charity event. Your charitable, tax-deductible donation will help The Children's Inn continue to provide much needed services to seriously ill children and their families. To provide a financial donation on-line, please visit our website at www.childrensinn.org/santaride, and enter your information. You may also mail your donation to The Children’s Inn at NIH, Attn: Donation Department in c/o Santa Police Ride, 7 West Drive, Bethesda, MD  20814.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact me at lking@mail.nih.gov or by phone at 301-451-9454.  Thank you in advance for considering our request.

With gratitude,

Laura King

Sr. Director of Community Engagement

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FOLLOW ALONG ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER: Virtual “Santa Ride” – #MCPSantaRide

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Release ID: 19-497
Media Contact: Rebecca Innocenti 
Categories: community-event