The Rolling Thunder Chapter 5 Virginia motorcycle club and more than a dozen other motorcycle clubs visited Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) July 13 to spread cheer to pediatric patients and pass out presents.
Santa Claus and members of the motorcycle clubs traveled around the Emergency Room and Pediatrics Ward for Christmas in July, one of two annual visits by the group.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming out,” said Capt. Dixie Aune, director of Nursing Services at NMCP. “Our kids love this, the parents love it, and I hope you love it as well. Our skipper is out right now preparing for change of command, and I know he would’ve loved to have been here, he loves what you do and what you stand for, so on behalf of our CO, thank you for taking your afternoon and spending it with us.”
The motorcyclists visits NMCP’s pediatric patients each July and December. Each time they visit, they bring toys for children of all ages that they collected through donations during the year. The Christmas in July event and Santa Claus are a nice surprise for the children, and the mission is to put a smile on each of their faces.
“We come to try to put smiles on their faces,” said Deborah Stolins, a motorcycle club member. “The smiles on the kids’ faces… it’s priceless and contagious.”
Rolling Thunder teams up with NMCP’s American Red Cross office to make each December and July a success. The gifts that are left over from Santa’s visit are kept in NMCP’s American Red Cross office and handed out to the children who are hospitalized throughout the year.
Not only do Santa Claus and the bikers want to put smiles on the children’s faces, they want to make an impact on the parents as well.
“We are all about trying to help ease their burden a little bit,” Stolins said.
Members of NMCP’s Chief Petty Officer Association, First Class Petty Officer Association, Second Class Petty Officer Association, Junior Enlisted Association and Morale, Welfare and Recreation committee volunteered to help set up the event and assist with moving the toy bins throughout the medical center during the visit.
As the U. S. Navy’s oldest, continuously-operating hospital since 1830, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth proudly serves past and present military members and their families. The nationally acclaimed, state-of-the-art medical center, including its nine branch clinics located throughout the Hampton Roads area, additionally offers premier research and teaching programs designed to prepare new doctors, nurses and hospital corpsmen for future roles in healing and wellness.