Members of the Sabbath Keepers Motorcycle Ministry (SKMM) have a big heart for service. When they heard that the annual charity teddy bear motorcycle run for Auburn Medical Center was canceled for the first time in 17 years, they decided to take action.
The donated teddy bears are used to cheer up children at the hospital and for first responders to give to children they encounter on emergency calls in the Auburn area.
The Columbia River and Northwest chapters of SKMM collaborated to quickly collect 20 new teddy bears. They arranged to deliver the teddy bears to Auburn Medical Center’s volunteer center on Valentine’s Day.
“The riding weather that day was beautiful, and the small motorcycle parade donated about 20 bears to the cause,” says Roy Hood, Northwest Chapter president. “SKMM is looking into meeting this need in future years by sponsoring a teddy bear drive in local churches.”
Beyond the teddy bear runs, this motorcycle ministry is active in community service projects. Last year, the Northwest chapter participated in 26 community charity runs. Projects included setting up free literature booths at six multiday community and biker events, making and serving sandwiches at Tacoma Rescue Mission once a month, and holding weekly Bible studies at Monroe Correctional Complex.
In addition, the Northwest chapter also visited six churches in western Washington and attended three camp meetings in the Pacific Northwest to invite more bikers to join their ministry.
“We are always looking for more bikers who love Jesus to ride with us,” says Hood.
Western Washington is home to three of 21 SKMM chapters in North America. The Northwest Chapter is based in Puyallup, the Puget Sound Chapter is based in Edmonds and the Columbia River Chapter is based in Woodland. Learn more about this ministry at skmmnational.org.
Roy Hood, SKMM Northwest chapter president, explains how two motorcycle ministry chapters collected 20 teddy bears that met the hospital's donation requirements.
Two chapters of the Sabbath Keepers Motorcycle Ministry didn't let the cancellation of a long-standing teddy bear motorcycle run stop them from sharing some love with the community on Feb. 14.
A "chase car" holds the teddy bears donated from Sabbath Keeper Motorcycle Ministry members to Auburn Medical Center.
A representative from Auburn Medical Center receives the teddy bear donation from Sabbath Keeper Motorcycle Ministry.
