Motorcycle Santa Delivers Toys to Needy Kids

The following Nice One was submitted by Marilyn Parkinson of Cumming, Ga. Submit your own Nice one story and you can be eligible for exciting prizes from AOL, including tickets to an exclusive AOL music event and a VIP meet and greet with the artist. Weekly winners will have a $1,000 donation to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital made in their names.

Every now and then Santa will ditch the reindeer in favor of a hog.

At least when Don Parkinson is playing the Jolly Fat Man.

For the past 18 years, the Georgia man has donned the red and white and hit the open road on his motorcycle. His mission: to deliver toys and gift cards to children of poor families. Fortunately, Parkinson doesn't go at it alone -- he has his own elves, in this case fellow bikers who pitch in with the deliveries.

"We usually have as many as 400 to 500 bikes and 700 riders show up to designated drop-off places in three counties in our area," said Don's wife, Marilyn.

The Buck Jones Toy Run, as it's called, takes place "rain or shine" the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

"Unfortunately, this year it was raining, but we still held the ride," Marilyn said.

While Parkinson has participated in the run for nearly two decades, last year was a challenge, as the Parkinson's struggled to deal with the suicide of their son, Wyatt, the previous September. But two months later, Don was back on his hog, delivering toys. The couple has also raised $22,000 in their son's name for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. This spring they held an "Out of Darkness Ride" in their son's name for the Atlanta chapter of AFSP.

"This was the first time we did this, and we hope that maybe we can continue the motorcycle rides for the AFSP," Marilyn said.