Organizer of the 37th annual Santa Claus Fund Toy Run Heather McCaig (sitting front left) with students from the Crescent Heights Leadership Team and members of the Masonic Lodge No. 35. The tents behind the group are filled with donated toys.--NEWS PHOTO SAMANTHA JOHNSON
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
The 37th annual Medicine Hat News Santa Claus Fund Toy Run took place this past Saturday. The run started in Irvine, where motorcycle enthusiasts fill the hamlet for the kickoff pancake breakfast, before riding to the city and ending outside the grandstand at the Medicine Hat Stampede & Exhibition grounds.
The News caught up with organizer Heather McCaig just prior to the toys being loaded into a trailer.
“We are so excited at the Toy Run today. We had around 1,000 bikes that came and participated and a ton of Medicine Hat community came out to support us today, both at Irvine and here on the (Stampede) ground. We are extremely excited about the community support and outpouring of donations.”
SCF executive director Deanna Doerksen added, “This is always our official kickoff event, and the response today was absolutely overwhelming. Lots of folks came out to support the charity and we are very grateful. Beautiful weather, the best we’ve had in a long time, so we are really thankful.”
