ROCKINGHAM — The young residents of Pence Place received presents from Santa and his motorcycle-riding helpers on Saturday.
Members of the nonprofit Richmond’s Leather and Lace rolled into the parking lot and unloaded an enclosed trailer filled with gifts for each child, as well as some items to be used by all.
Presents included baby dolls and other toys, animal-themed sleeping bags, roller skates and coats. One of the kids was excited to receive a wallet.
This year, money was raised through an adult prom held in September at Axe to Grind in Hamlet, sponsored by: Seacoast Electric; Cobler Donkey Farm; One Stop Print Shop; J.M. Currie and Sons Hauling and Grading; Robbie Singletary Photography; Dieffenbach GM Superstore; Showtime Tattoos; Broadstreet Jewelry and Pawn; and Martin’s Heating and Cooling.
The group also offers special thanks to: Teresa Moore; Will Moore; Axe to Grind; Jachee and Aaron Castillo; William Toler; Tractor Supply; and Justin and Adrianne Anderson.
Click here to see photos from the event on the RO's Facebook page.
This is the third consecutive year of delivering gifts just before Christmas.
The original fundraiser was a motorcycle ride, organized by Taylor Lingren in 2023 to restart a tradition by a now-disbanded motorcycle club her father was associated with. The ride was held again in 2024 before organizers switched gears from wheels to heels for 2025.
Affiliated with Monarch, Pence Place has been in operation for more than 30 years and serves children up to age 21 with intellectual and developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injury. Once they age out, the residents are either placed in Monarch-affiliated adult homes or with other organizations.
(NOTE: Monarch’s policy prohibits photographing the children.)
