Motorcyclists carry themselves with a certain bravado. Their leather jackets are decorated with patches showcasing their originality. Roadway nicknames like “Bullseye,” religious symbols and club affiliations all play into the look.
Their demeanor and loud engines can be intimidating to some, but for Robert Mitchell, president of Tulsa Big Wheels Motorcycle Club, the looks don’t tell the whole story.
“You have to get to know me before you judge me,” Mitchell said. “Instead of judging all of us, you got to judge us individually.”
On Sunday, the group — alongside about 100 other bikers from in and out of the state — carried hundreds of toys on their bikes from the Gathering Place to Tulsa Dream Center. Now in its 13th year, the giveaway was part of the Dream Center’s annual holiday toy run.
“This is a collaboration between a lot of different individuals throughout the city,” Mitchell said. “You got a lot of different bikers, you got a lot of (motorcycle clubs), you got a lot of people that just love to ride and love to give to kids. So once we started doing the toy run, just about whoever rode motorcycles decided to come in and be a part of it.”
Tulsa Big Wheels is a primarily Black motorcycle club that has existed for nearly 50 years. The toy run is the group’s version of Santa Claus and his reindeer delivering toys to well-behaved kids.
Dressed in a Rudolph costume, Hannah Rainey led the pack. She’s part of Ride Tribe Motorcycle School, which her father, Gary Rainey, leads. He donned a Santa Claus costume during Sunday’s event.
After arriving at the Dream Center in north Tulsa, the joy from the kids was palpable.
“Oh I love it, I love it,” Ken Perry told The Eagle about seeing the kid’s smiling faces. He is the president of the Christian Motorcyclists Association in Broken Arrow.
“The ride was good. We’ll always like the ride here. This is one of my favorite toy runs,” Perry said.
To end the day, the bikers enjoyed a bowl of chili, hot chocolate, iced tea and coffee served by the Dream Center. They mingled inside as kids photographed themselves with Santa and Mrs. Claus, who were actually Ginny and Roice Kirk from Route 66 H.O.G.’s chapter.
They also dedicated this year’s ride to Tracy Willis — the late fiancee of Sammy Turner Jr, vice president of Tulsa Big Wheels.
One year ago, Willis died in a car accident after her and Turner were rear-ended. Mitchell and the rest of the club photographed themselves with a portrait of her.
“We want to put this toy run in her honor,” Mitchell said.
This season of giving will continue later in the month, according to Tim Newton, the Dream Center’s executive director. From Dec. 17-20, they will host their annual Christmas Mall, where parents will be able to shop among the donated toys.
“For the parents to be able to go shop for their kids, and also for them to be wrapping the toys for the parents to give to the kids … it’s a lot to it that you really can’t put into words,” Mitchell said.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
