This holiday season, our hospital was blessed with an extraordinary act of kindness from the BC Harley Racing Team. For the second year in a row, these dedicated riders rolled into Willamette Valley Medical Center with Santa hats, festive cheer, and a sleigh full of toys for children in our emergency room and birthing center. Their generosity brought smiles and joy to families during a time that can often be stressful.

But this year, they went even further. BC Harley Racing raised $2,950 to support the purchase a Caring Cradle for our Women’s Health Clinic—a piece of equipment that provides grieving parents precious time to say goodbye to their baby after fetal demise. As Jennifer Von Derahe, our Women’s Health Clinic Director, shared:
“This makes the hard a little softer. It gives people a chance to grieve… to cuddle a little longer—that’s everything.”

The Caring Cradle looks like a simple cradle, but it contains a cooling mechanism that preserves the infant’s body, allowing families more time for love, tears, and closure. The first family who used it expressed deep gratitude, calling it a gift of time in the most heartbreaking of circumstances.

We are so thankful to BC Harleys for their compassion and commitment to making a difference. Their support reminds us that community partnerships can bring comfort and hope when it’s needed most.