A toy story
with Christmas in July

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

They storm through the streets like a scene out of Marlon Brando’s The Wild One. But their true mission is to act out something from Santa Claus is Coming to Town, particularly the bit when Santa visits all of the good little girls and boys.
When the end of July rolls around each year, Philadelphia’s Centurions motorcycle club has no shortage of toys to complete such a task. Like Santa’s elves, these rough-around-the-edges bikers spend countless hours preparing for the big day.
And as kids around the globe do every Dec. 25, the children at Philadelphia’s Shriners Hospital benefit each summer from great acts of kindness.
The Centurions, primarily a social group composed of current and former police officers and military personnel, will conduct their 11th annual Christmas in July Toy Run on July 29. The 60-member club expects as many as 500 motorcyclists to participate in the ride from the Police Academy on State Road in the Northeast to the hospital at Broad and Venango streets.
Besides toys, the Centurions plan to bring thousands of dollars in donations to benefit the medical facility, which specializes in treating children with spinal cord injuries.
"This is kind of a surprise holiday to them, an unexpected holiday," said George Pirrone, president of the club. "In July, when everybody else is on vacation, those kids don’t get to go."
"If you saw these kids," added club secretary Ed Zawisza, "you’d see they really need a smile on their faces."
The Centurions, who pride themselves on being contributing members of the community in contrast to stereotypical outlaw biker gangs, got involved at Shriners by word of mouth.
"There was a girl who had to go to Shriners (as a child) who was friends with someone in the Centurions," Zawisza said. "She explained what (the hospital) was all about, kids with spinal cord injuries, and how when kids leave there, they get no bill. The club thought it would be a great benefit from a charitable standpoint."
When most of the current club leaders joined the Centurions, the philanthropy was already in place, but it was in still in its formative stages.
"Nine years ago, we were small. We maybe got one-hundred bikes," Pirrone said.
With support of other law-abiding cycle clubs throughout the region, as well as non-riders, area businesses and public agencies like the police department’s Highway Patrol Unit, the event has exploded to epic proportions.
The riders, including Santa, all meet at the Police Academy for some coffee in advance of the 11 a.m. departure. Riders are asked to bring new, unwrapped presents to the send-off.
With area roads shut off to outside traffic, the throng makes its way down Interstate 95 to Allegheny Avenue, across to Broad Street and north to the hospital. Bikes line Broad Street for four or five blocks during the visit.
"Some of the kids who are mobile, they bring down to meet us," Pirrone said.
Other children wait upstairs in their rooms as Santa makes his rounds with his odd-looking helpers.
The hospital always puts out a big spread of food for the riders and for the many patients’ families who share the day.
"It’s like a family affair for them," said Frank Ciamaichelo, sergeant-at-arms of the Centurions.
The children range in age from infants to older teens. The fact that Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer are nowhere to be found doesn’t usually become an issue with the younger crowd, however.
"They usually never ask about that. I think they’re more interested in the motorcycles than Santa," Ciamaichelo said.
The club members, meanwhile, are interested in more than giving the children items to play with for the ensuing few weeks. Getting them the financial, medical and intellectual support they need is the priority.
"The toys are nice, but the (amount of) toys we get is overwhelming," Pirrone said. "What we’re focusing on now are things like scholarships and hospital equipment . . . a lot of them can’t play with toys, but their minds are really sharp. We’re trying to get the word out for business sponsors and corporate donations."
Though the Centurions are still working on getting tax-exempt status, donations are tax-free because they will go directly to Shriners, a 501(c)3 organization.
A year ago, the club generated almost $10,000 in donations for the hospital. ••
For information about the event, visit www.centurionsmc.com or call Frank at 267-228-0804.
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com