News Releases

Santa Claus to Ride Harley Through Town to Benefit The Children’s Inn at NIH

For Immediate Release: Thursday, December 2, 2021

Gaithersburg, MD - Wednesday, December 8, 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 8, 2021

WHERE:  Making brief stops along the way, officers will leave the 5th District Police Station located at 20000 Aircraft Drive in Germantown at 3 pm and will make their way to Route 355 and travel south on Route 355 to The Children's Inn located in Bethesda. 
Santa will greet the residents on the playground of The Children's Inn.  The ride will conclude with a ride around the NIH property.

HOW TO DONATE: 

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 Police Ride” to benefit The Children’s Inn at NIH. The procession of uniformed policemen led by Santa on a Harley has become a highlight of the holiday season for many years. The charity ride has even captured the attention of local media outlets.

The Children's Inn is a private, nonprofit, hospitality house for pediatric patients at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Inn provides free lodging to children and their families while participating in clinical research studies at the NIH.  The mission is to reduce the burden of illness and provide a place like home through a state of the art facility. In fiscal year 2021, we served over 400 families from across the United States and the world.  In a typical year, we serve more than 1,500 families, but we were greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Families do not pay to stay at the Inn; we rely solely on private and corporate 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 is designed to build community and wellbeing among families and to provide everyone an opportunity to meet and make friends with others going through similar experiences.

We hope you will consider making a donation 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/donate, 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 meghan.arbegast@nih.gov or by phone at 301-827-6054.  Thank you in advance for considering our request.

         With gratitude,

          Meghan

 

Meghan Arbegast Smith

         Volunteer Engagement Manager

 

 

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Release ID: 21-479
Media Contact: Shiera D. Goff  
Categories: featured