Wilkes-barre Rec Dept Holds Tennis Camp

Aldo Russo 
Aug. 9, 1996 
Aldo Russo, 88, Of New Hancock Street, Wilkes-barre, And Formerly Of Scott 
Street, Parsons, Wilkes-barre, Died Friday At Home.

By RENEE HENRICH; Special to The Times Leader
 Sunday, August 11, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





KINGSTON -- A banker, a medical technician, a construction engineer, an
accountant, a lawyer, and a local business owner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What do all these people have in common? Teddy bears and an interest in
motorcycles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On Saturday, 107 riders headed to Market Street to raise money to buy teddy
bears for traumatized children. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With a $10 registration fee per person, the group was able to donate 107
bears to be given out by police officers to children involved in cases of
domestic violence or auto accidents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The run, which began in the parking lot of Reilly Classic cars, was
sponsored by the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of A.B.A.T.E. (Alliance of Bikers
Aimed Towards Education), the Blue Knights Motorcycle Club, and the Wyoming
Valley Truck Club. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The waves of bikes, accompanied by three trucks and two police cars,
traveled a seven-mile run winding through Kingston Corners, over the Carey
Avenue Bridge, down Hanover Street to South Main Street, and around Public
Square to North Franklin Street where they stopped in front of Penn Millers
Mutual Insurance Co. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At Penn Millers, Stan Daniels, president of A.B.A.T.E., and Officer Don
Crane, who is in charge of the Teddy Bear Patrol program at the Wilkes-Barre
Police Department, presented a check for $1,070 to Ron Knouse, spokesperson
for Penn Millers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The money will be added to a fund for the program that was started by Penn
Millers in 1991 with $10,000. Each bear costs $10. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After the run, all the participants were invited to a reception at Shooters
Pub for free food and entertainment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Since its inception, the Teddy Bear Patrol, which stretches over six
counties, has given out 800 bears, said Knouse. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "On one hand we're glad to be able to hand out so many bears, but it's a
shame that we have so many traumatized children to give them to," Knouse said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Wilkes-Barre Police Department joined the patrol in the spring of 1993
and has distributed 350 bears, said Crane. "Our officers carry them around in
their trunks as a standard piece of equipment." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The majority of bears given out by the Wilkes-Barre police force go to
cases dealing with child abuse, said Crane. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Teddy Bear Patrol is sponsored by Penn Millers, WBRE TV Channel 28,
which publicizes the program, and the Visiting Nurses Association, who
prepares the bears for distribution. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The bikers group hopes to make the teddy bear run an annual event, said
Daniels. The organization also participates in runs for the March of Dimes,
Toys for Tots, and Muscular Dystrophy Association. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/DON CAREY &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Stan Daniels, president of the Susquehanna Valley Chapter of A.B.A.T.E.
(Alliance of Bikers Aimed Towards Education), and his passenger, Linda Basar
of Hanover Township, get ready to lead a pack of nearly 50 motorcycles on a
seven-mile ride Saturday to benefit the Teddy Bear Patrol. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Bikers Ride To Ease Pain Of Suffering Children Police And Business Combine With Riders To Raise Money For Teddy Bears To Be Given To Kids