HOGGING TOYS SANTA CLAUS GETS SOME HELP FROM HARLEY OWNERS GROUP.Byline: Greg GREG Great Egg Harbor National Scenic and Recreational River (US National Park Service) Botonis Staff Writer LANCASTER - The Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley Harley Owners Group The Harley Owners Group is a club for Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners. It is frequently known by its initials, HOG. Harley-Davidson® established the Harley Owners Group® in 1983 in response to a growing desire by Harley® riders for an organized way to share their collected thousands of dollars worth of toys and cash over the weekend for the Valley Child Guidance Clinic to distribute to needy need·y adj. need·i·er, need·i·est 1. Being in need; impoverished. See Synonyms at poor. 2. Wanting or needing affection, attention, or reassurance, especially to an excessive degree. children. This was the self-labeled HOGs' third annual toy drive for the clinic, which for the past 20 years has provided mental health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract to children and families in the Antelope Valley. Admission to the group's event was $10 or more in the form of a new, unwrapped gift, cash or a Wal-Mart gift card. Residents turned out in droves to donate and enjoy the food and activities, including a ``bounce 1. bounce - (Perhaps by analogy to a bouncing check) An electronic mail message that is undeliverable and returns an error notification (a "bounce message") to the sender is said to "bounce". 2. bounce - To play volleyball. The now-demolished D. C. house'' and a fast pitch cage. A motorcycle-riding Santa posed for photos with guests. Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County firefighters from Stations 134 and 33 displayed a fire truck and equipment. Organizers said they raised $10,000 in 2002 and tried to beat that total in 2003, but bad weather slowed attendance and they raised only about $8,000. This year, however, organizers say clear weather and a great turnout probably got them past that $10,000 record. ``I was very pleased with the turnout,'' said Starr Bayard, one of the event organizers, before a final tally. ``I think we'll do even better than last year.'' Riders of Harley-Davidsons and other motorcycles and their friends brought most of the toys, but there were nonriders in the crowd, too. ``This is such a worthwhile cause,'' said Dewayne Strike of Palmdale, who rode his own Harley-Davidson Fat Boy to the event. ``It doesn't matter if you ride or not. It's not about us. It's about the kids and helping them out. Some of these little guys might not get anything if it wasn't for everyone coming out and donating toys and stuff.'' Valley Child Guidance Clinic workers see about one out of every 70 school-age children in the Antelope Valley each year, officials said. The Antelope Valley Harley Owners Group also has placed a collection box in the Harley-Davidson showroom in Lancaster for people who could not attend Saturday's event. Organizers were pleasantly surprised by the great weather Saturday after forecasts of winds up to 35 mph in the Antelope Valley by late morning. For more information on how to donate, call (661) 944-4167. Greg Botonis, (661) 267-7813 greg.botonis(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) On a pre-Christmas ride without his reindeer reindeer, ruminant mammal, genus Rangifer, of the deer family, found in arctic and subarctic regions of Eurasia and North America. It is the only deer in which both sexes have antlers. , Santa helps, from left, Joelle Hunnewell, Lila Miller and Starr Bayard gather toys for needy Antelope Valley kids. By Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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