Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade

Newsletters for The Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade membership.

Jack's Update Update #43 December 11, 2003

Largest Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade in History

"Amazing!" That's the word most frequently used in comments about The 2003 Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade, the largest TFT Motorcycle Parade in history. Estimates are still coming in, but most people say that The Parade had well over 35,000 participants, possibly over 40,000.

The bright sunshine helped the temperature reach the middle 40s, which encouraged even more riders to come out and participate. Thousands of spectators, both young and not-so-young, lined the sides of Western Avenue, cheering and waving to the bikers, and many of them even brought toys to give to the motorcyclists as they rode past. Santa and his elves led The Parade, as usual, but this year he rode a new, improved "sleigh", which was much larger, more sidecar-shaped, and carried many more toys than last years version.

The journey ended at Foster Avenue and Troy Street, where the thousands of riders carried boxes and bags, filled with toys, into the Marine Center. At the end of the day, the Marine Center was filled with gifts, with an incredible estimated total of over 100,000 donated toys.

Archived Updates

#42
Dec, 2003

#41
Nov., 2003

#40
Nov., 2003

#39
Oct., 2003

#38
Sept., 2003

#37
August, 2003

#36
July, 2003

Parade Comments

Here are some of the comments we have received via email from those who rode in, or just watched, the 2003 Parade.

Rick emailed; "Last Sunday (Dec 7th) was the first time I participated in your parade. I was so impressed with the way you managed all of those motorcycles. It warmed my heart to know that many underprivileged children will have a Christmas. You guys are great! I'm already looking forward to and planning for next year's run!"

Chris B said; "The ride this year was great. Nice web site too."

Sean L says; "I was out there this weekend for my first toys for tots ride. Thanks for the great event."

Kevin L said; "Enjoyed this years parade very much, big thanks to a great organization for a smooth job well done!! Semper Fi"

Rick B wrote; "Thanks for everything you do...you are appreciated... The parade was great, the people were great, even the weather was great...all in all a pretty GREAT day...lol"

Darlene C said; "The ride was a blast! My 1st time, I will certainly do it again."
Nancy wrote; "Rode in the parade for the first time last Sunday, and loved it. What a privilege. Picked up the Trib and Suntimes the next day and nothing....just a small pic, how sad. You guys do a great job. See ya next year."

Charlie P said; "I rode this past Sunday and I was just amazed. I will be there next year too!"
Michael R wrote; "Congrats on a great turnout for the parade yesterday. It was my first time participating in it and I had a great time."
Harry D says; "Hello, I would like to thank the organizers as well as those volunteers who helped make this Toys for Tots Parade a success. This was my first time riding in the event."

Jim D wrote; "Congratulations on another fine event. We didn't really know what to expect, but that was amazing. Two of our friends rode with us and we all had a great time. Teri loved it, I think she enjoyed waving to all the kids."

M said; "Enjoy the parade every year, working on getting a bike soon, hope to participate in 2004. My wife and I are tired of watching, it's time to participate. Thanks again for an enjoyable parade of Motorcycles and good hearted people."

Another M wrote; "You guys are super!!!! I have enjoyed the toys for tots parade for many years!!!!! Please include me in your E-mail !!!!! Keep up the great work. Ride safe!!!!"

Mike E emailed; "Well it looks like you have had another successful TFT Bike Parade . I know it took all the bikers to make it the success it was but it also took all the TFT people who put it all together and to control the parade to make it work . This was my 5th year being involved with the TFT parade and I can't think of a better way to take the last ride of the year making a child happy at Christmas. Let me know what the official count was of attendees at the parade, I am curious to see if I was right about the amount of people I told you would be there. 40,000. Ha ha ha ha!"

Thank You

Thanks to everyone who helped to make The 2003 Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade such a huge success.
Thanks to all the riders who donated toys, purchased Parade merchandise, and rode in The Parade.

Thanks to all the Police and Fire Departments, and city and county agencies, who assisted in many ways, and thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Huston and Sergeant Rodriguez, the two gentlemen in charge at the Marine Center on Foster Avenue.

And a special thanks to the hundreds of Parade Volunteers of The Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade Organization who worked, and continue to work, throughout the year to organize another successful TFT Motorcycle Parade.

2003 Parade TV Coverage

The 2003 Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade was covered by the news departments of all the Chicago TV Stations, and we have been informed that many television stations across the country have also featured the story about The 2003 Chicago TFT Parade in their newscasts on December 7th and 8th. They are:

WDTN ABC in Dayton, Ohio

WTTE FOX in Columbus, Ohio

KVAL CBS in Eugene, Oregon

KSAZ FOX in Phoenix, Arizona

WITI FOX in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

WDAF FOX in Kansas City, Missouri

KMPH FOX in Fresno and Visalia, California

WOIO CBS in Cleveland, Akron and Canton, Ohio

KMSP UPN in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota

WCIA CBS in Springfield, Decatur and Champaign, Illinois

WTTG FOX in Washington, DC and Hagerstown, Maryland

KOVR CBS in Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto, California

WTVT FOX in Tampa, Saint Petersburg and Sarasota, Florida

WQAD ABC in Davenport,Iowa and Rock Island and Moline, Illinois

"Good Day Live" Syndicated

Fox National News

And remember to watch for more Parade coverage on Bill Wildt's "Motorsports Unlimited", Dan Schmitt's "Team Chicago Challenge"' and Speed Channel's "Corbin's Ride On".

Check your local listings for times and channels.

Parade Participant has Fatal Accident

One rider who participated in The Parade was tragically killed in a accident on his ride home. Matthew McDermott, 23, of Addison, Illinois, after leaving the Marine Center on Foster Avenue, lost control of his bike on Interstate 290, crashed, and was killed instantly. As one of his friends put it, "We really lost a great guy and he died helping others". Matt worked at Nofsingers in Lombard on St. Charles road. Matthew's wake will be this Friday (12-12-03) from 3-9 at Conboy's Westchester Funeral Home at 10501 Cermak Road in Westchester. His funeral will be this Saturday (Dec. 13, 2003) at 8:30AM at Conboy's, and 10AM at Saint Nicholas Church at 10301 South Kolmar in Oak Lawn. We extend our deepest sympathy to Matt's family and friends.

Santa and Elves are Working Hard

The Chicago TFT Parade Hospital Crew back at work. The elves are busy escorting Santa to dozens of schools, hospitals, and childrens' homes, where Santa will individually meet thousands of children, give them gifts, and have his picture taken with them. Just this week, Santa and his happy group have arrived by firetruck at The Kinzie School, The Misericordia Home, The Sertoma Center, The Abraham Lincoln Center, and The Shriners Hospital, and there are many more visits to come before Christmas. Parade Organization Members are invited to come along and assist the elves. Parade Members may call Paul at 773-631-0116 or Jack at 815-458-2797 for details.

Raffle Update

In the 2004 TFT Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Raffle, this year's Grand Prize will be a 2004 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide. Tickets are only $5 each and the drawing will be held at Oak Lawn Harley-Davidson on March 13, 2004. Tickets can be obtained from any Parade Volunteer or send ticket requests to info@ChicagolandTFT.org . For more info go to http://chicagolandtft.org/products.htm . And the new Sturgis Rally Vacation Raffle also continues. The drawing will be held at the McCormick Place Swap Meet on February 22, 2004. Tickets are $1 each, Sponsored by The Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade, R&B Promotions Mail orders for ticket requests of at least $10 will be accepted, contact us at info@ChicagolandTFT.org .

Parade Merchandise

Thanks to everyone who purchased Parade Merchandise on Parade Day. Your donations will benefit many children and their families. There is still a small amount of 2003 apparel remaining, but the 2003 pins have all been sold. These items will be available at The Parade De-Briefing Meeting held at the Stempien VFW at 47th Street and Tripp Avenue. The meeting will begin at 7:30PM on Friday, December 19th, 2003.

Dollar Tree Stores

Our friends at the Dollar Tree stores have been collecting toys for The TFT Program at a terrific rate. We appreciate their efforts and encourage you to visit them. For the location of your nearest Dollar Tree store, visit their website at www.dollartree.com .

Anyone who wishes to receive toys for underprivileged children should contact their local church, school, hospital or community aid organization.

Chicago area groups that would like to be considered to receive toys to distribute, please notify:
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program
3034 West Foster Avenue, Chicago, 60625. Phone 773-539-7393

For assistance outside the Chicago area, click here for your local Marine Coordinator
http://www.toysfortots.org/2002/index.html

Official TFT Toy Drop-off Locations.

79th Street Deli at 79th Street and Oak Park Avenue in Burbank
Alligator Bob's Shop at 39442 North Route 59 in Lake Villa
The College of DuPage in Glen Ellen
Grandma Sally's Restaurant at 1145 South Elmhurst Road in Des Plaines
Illinois Harley-Davidson at 1301 South Harlem Avenue in Berwyn
LAMA Headquarters at 3519 West Fullerton Avenue in Chicago
Oak Lawn Harley-Davidson at 110th Street and Cicero Avenue in Oak Lawn
The Old Barn Restaurant at 80th Street and Central Avenue in Burbank
The Radisson Hotel on 127th Street near Cicero Avenue in Alsip
Roberts Park Fire Department at 86th Avenue and Roberts Road
Stempien VFW Post at 47th Street and Tripp Avenue in Chicago
Third Down Sports Bar at 4839 South Central Avenue in Chicago
Worth American Legion Post at 110th Street and Depot Avenue in Worth
Your local Dollar Tree Store

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The 2003 Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade
was dedicated to the memory of Ed Johnson.

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2003 Chicago TFT Motorcycle Parade Organization Schedule... Click here

Attention Website visitors

We appreciate your interest in our Parade and organization, and in order to better serve our members and friends, we now have a TFT E-mail List. This enables us to communicate with each other much faster than we can with either our Newsletter or our Website.

To be notified of the latest Parade updates, and news and activities of our Organization, just E-mail us, and tell us to add your E-address to our E-list.

And while you're connected, please tell us what you think of our Website.

Click here to contact us.

The Chicagoland Toys for Tots Motorcycle Parade
P.O. Box 388260 Chicago, Illinois. 60638
Hotline 773-866-TOYS

Jack's BMW

This Chicagoland Toys For Tots Motorcycle Parade Update is a production of
The Chicagoland Toys For Tots Motorcycle Parade Website

http://.ChicagolandTFT.org

Copyright "The World's Greatest Motorcycle Parade" 2002

Jack's Harley

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Contact Us

Chicagoland Toys For Tots
Motorcycle Parade
P.O. Box 388260
Chicago, IL 60638

(773)866.TOYS
http://ChicagolandTFT.org
e-mail info@chicagolandtft.org