Thursday, May 2, 2024
Jerry Perales, left, president of the Rogue 22 MC Granbury chapter and his wife, Dawn, front, founder of the all-female motorcycle club Iron Maidens, visited nine nursing homes in Hood County on Dec. 17, delivering presents to residents and staff.
The two motorcycle clubs had a total of 11 big boxes of presents for the nursing home residents and 11 smaller boxes for the nursing home staff. Boxes contained crossword puzzles, coloring books and snacks.
Jerry Perales said he enjoyed talking with a nursing home resident whose blue eyes matched the eyes of a clown drawing someone had given her. “She’d been (at the nursing home) for four years,” he said. “That one kind of got me.”
One Hood County couple is continuing their tradition to bring Christmas joy where it counts the most.
For the past two years, husband-and-wife duo Jerry and Dawn Perales have delivered Christmas presents to residents and staff of several local nursing homes.
Combining efforts from their two motorcycle clubs — Iron Maidens and Rogue 22 MC — the couple has successfully finished their third year of giving back during the holidays.
“It was very neat and very humbling to see elderly people ‘cause some, when they go into a nursing home, they're forgotten, but if we can do something to make somebody smile that's what we're gonna do,” Jerry said.
Dawn, the founder of the all-female motorcycle group Iron Maidens, and Jerry, president of the Rogue 22 MC Granbury chapter, worked together with their clubs to deliver presents to nine local nursing homes on Saturday, Dec. 17.
“Rogue 22 is the MC (motorcycle club) that is about giving to the community, to residents, to nursing homes, homeless and doing events for disabled kids,” Jerry said. “We're a group that at one point in time couldn't do things like this and now we can, so we are.”
The inspiration to start the gift-giving tradition came from Dawn herself, whose grandmother resided in Harbor Lakes Nursing and Rehabilitation Center during the later stages of her life.
“My grandma was like, the glue that held our family together, and when she got into the nursing home, sometimes life just happens, and you can't get over there as much as you want,” she said. “So, I decided I was gonna start at least once a year, going and seeing those elderly people and making them smile. It was awesome this year, because we got to go in, talk to them and we got to see their smiles and, you know, hear their little stories and hand them their gift.”
Previously, due to the pandemic, Dawn and Jerry had to drop the presents beside the front door of each nursing home and let the staff divvy them out wherever they saw fit.
"This year, they let us actually visit and talk,” Jerry said. “One lady I covered up with a blanket and I got to hand them the books and the puzzles.”
The residents received crossword puzzles and coloring books, while the nursing home staff received snacks and popcorn.
A total of 11 big boxes contained gifts for the residents, and 11 smaller boxes contained gifts for the nursing home staff.
“If one day we can show them that they're not forgotten, it's worth it to us,” Jerry said. “A lot of people, they don't care about people in the nursing homes; we do, and the amount of people that we made smile was worth it to us.”
Dawn said one resident also touched the heart of their 13-year-old daughter, Kylee.
“There was a little lady that had recently broke her hip, and we all went in the same room at the same time, and she was just overwhelmed,” Dawn said. “She said ‘Y'all are here to see me?’ I gave her a blanket because she said she was cold and we all went to the next room and my daughter came and she's like, ‘Mom, she's asking if somebody will stay and talk to her. Is it OK if I go back in the room with her?’ I'm like, ‘Yeah, go make her smile and let her tell you her story.’ She sat in there the whole time talking to her. We had to go get her before we left and she was just like ‘Mama, when can we do this again?’ I mean, even if you can get your kids involved in it, do it. They just want somebody to talk to them.”
Jerry said he enjoyed talking with a woman whose blue eyes matched the eyes of a clown drawing someone had given her, while Dawn enjoyed speaking with a former customer she had met as a waitress at Pam’s Too in Acton.
"Somebody told me she wasn't doing well, and they're like, ‘You gotta find Mrs. Betty,’” Dawn said. “I said, ‘All right,’ I eventually found her, and I asked, ‘Do you remember me?’ and she was like, ‘Oh, yes, you know what I like to eat.’”
The two motorcycle clubs sponsor and support each other in their many philanthropist efforts — like when they fed more than 500 homeless individuals on Nov. 26, with five briskets, three hams, three turkeys and all of the fixings.
"It's neat that we've been blessed to do things like that,” Jerry said. “We've also given school supplies to Granbury High School and Godley High School.”
The couple participated in the Ride for Athena motorcycle and Jeep event on Dec. 11, that raised close to $9,000 for the family of 7-year-old Wise County girl Athena Strand, who was tragically killed last month.
“When something happens to a kid...” Dawn began.
“It changes the whole game,” Jerry chimed in.
The next event for Iron Maidens and Rogue 22 MC will be held on Dec. 31, with both clubs distributing blankets and toiletries for the homeless.
“It's neat to do things like that when you don't have to,” Jerry added. “You just do it — that's who you are.”
Dawn added that she enjoyed seeing the smiles she brought to several of the residents at local nursing homes.
“It wasn’t little smiles,” she said. “They were smiling from their hearts because somebody took the time to go up there and see them. I wouldn't trade making people smile at the nursing homes for anything.”
