Motorcyclists to Honor Friend by Donating Toys to St. Luke’s Pediatric Patients

Bethlehem, PA – On November 4, hundreds of motorcyclists will ride through the Lehigh Valley to honor the memory of their beloved friend by donating toys to the pediatric patients of St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN).

Riders taking part in the 7^th annual Tucker’s Toy Run will leave the Tri-Boro Sportsmen Club in Northampton at noon with a police escort and arrive in the main parking lot of St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem at approximately 12:30 p.m.

Upon arrival, the riders will fill cribs and bins with the toys they collected for patients of all ages. Children who are well enough to leave the pediatric unit with a family member will greet the riders and take part in the festivities. The toys are then distributed to pediatric patients throughout the network.

“We truly have been blessed that this group has chosen us to be the recipient of this wonderful gift in memory of their friend,” says Patricia Gubich, RN, CPN, SLUHN’s Patient Care Manager Pediatrics. “Patients and families are so thankful when they receive a gift. It brightens their day and helps ease the difficulty of being in the hospital.”

Each year, friends and fellow riding enthusiasts of the late Tucker Stuart celebrate his life and honor his memory by organizing Tucker’s Toy Run. Stuart, an avid motorcyclist, died in a motorcycle accident in 2011. Tucker’s Toy Run is organized by Rick Nauman.

“Tucker’s family comes in from New England to be a part of this wonderful event,” Gubich says. “It truly is overwhelming to see the array of motorcyclists who come out and donate. We are so blessed to have this amazing group of men, women, and children give so much to our pediatric patients. It truly is an outstanding way to honor Tucker because their generosity helps children throughout the entire year.”

Media Contact:

Sam Kennedy, Corporate Communications Director, 484-526-4134, samuel.kennedy@sluhn.org

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network providing services at seven hospitals and more than 270 outpatient sites in the greater Lehigh Valley. The network’s service area includes 10 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Schuylkill, Bucks, Montgomery, Berks and Monroe counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.  In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the region’s first and only regional medical school campus. Dedicated to advancing health education, St. Luke’s operates the nation’s oldest School of Nursing and 23 graduate medical educational programs and is considered a major teaching hospital – the only one in its region. Repeatedly, including 2017, St. Luke’s earned Truven’s 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital and 50 Top Cardiovascular Program designations, in addition to other honors for clinical excellence. St. Luke’s is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of St. Luke’s information technology applications such as electronic medical records, telehealth, online scheduling and pricing information. St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers.

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