Bikers and DA join forces for Toys for Tots Saturday morning

PERRY, Ga. — Over the weekend, bikers, lawyers and law enforcement banded together to bring joy to children this holiday season.

On Saturday, Roughnecks Motorcycle Club and the District Attorney’s Office held the Second Annual Toys for Tots Ride at the Houston County Courthouse on Perry Parkway.

Escorted by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney William Kendall led the group on Saturday during the ride, along with providing the venue, as the office provided part of the donation to Toys for Tots.

At the courthouse on Perry Parkway, riders donated their toys, or paid a $20 registration fee, then kickstands went up and almost 100 bikes travelled along Houston Lake Road and Russell Parkway to make their donation to Toys for Tots, set up that day at Walmart on Booth Road.

Kendall said before the event, it was hard to find space for the toys the office planned on donating, with a total haul of four large boxes of toys. The organizations also raised around $2,000 in cash donations.

“[We] kind of scrambled around to figure out where to store stuff until Saturday morning. So this year, I think we’re going to break our donation, from our record donation from last year, which is awesome,” Kendall said.

As Kendall explained at the event, this year’s doubled the previous year’s efforts, and was a heartwarming effort at that.

“Every once in awhile I watch a movie or I see something on the news where people who don’t really know each other pull together and do something and I can tell you there’s nothing that pulls on my heartstrings quite like that,” Kendall said. “The fact that so many people are here today that came together. You could have been doing anything today. The weather is nice, but you’re right here doing this and I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.”

As the leader of an agency that is committed to providing justice to victims of crime, Kendall said sponsoring an event like this provides the chance to help in a different capacity.

“It’s also good to work on a different spectrum and be able to give back to people who aren’t necessarily victims of crime or being worked through the judicial process. It’s a bit of a change of pace, something a little bit different. And it’s just nice to be in a good position and have good people that are making donations and we can provide back to our own community,” Kendall said.

Kendall was appreciative to the community and as a former Marine, also gave props to Toys for Tots and their mission to bring joy around the holidays.

“I’m just happy to support such a thing. You know, Toys for Tots is a great organization. They have been vetted and been around for a long, long time. Obviously, they’re supported by the Marine Corps, for which obviously I’m a fan; I’m a little biased,” Kendall said. “So we’re just looking forward to make it a record donation and providing some cheer to some children’s children and families out there in our area.”

More information about the organization can be found at toysfortots.org.

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