The Maine Professional Drivers Association and its committee that organizes the annual Trucking for Kids Convoy event have announced that the event will be held on Sunday, Sept. 20.
In light of the COVID-19 situation that we are faced with, it has been extremely difficult for our friends at Camp Sunshine and Camp POSTCARD to raise funds this year and we want to help, according to a news release from the Augusta-based association.
All means of safety for the participants and spectators will be implemented, including the restriction of gathering as groups, a requirement to wear face masks when outside of the trucks and the social distancing of both people and vehicles. Line-up at Scarborough Downs, 90 Payne Road, Scarborough, will take place from 11 to 11:45 a.m. and the convoy will take place from noon to 1 p.m., with the vehicles dispersing immediately upon returning to Scarborough Downs. There will be no extracurricular activities such as the raffles, driving competition, food booth, truck show awards, etc. There will also be no rest rooms available for this short event.
Participants will be allowed to physically bring their vehicles to Scarborough Downs and take part in the actual truck convoy or, they may submit a photo of themselves with their vehicle to be posted on the website and in effect, take part in a “Virtual Convoy”. The association’s webmaster has designed a registration process that will allow participants upload their photos, make donations, and to participate in whatever way they feel comfortable.
Donations and sponsorship may be made via PayPal or with a credit card. Funds may be brought to the event but will be “quarantined” for a length of time. Donations will also be accepted by mail.
The first 100 participants who register, and who donate the minimum $100, will be presented with a commemorative challenge coin that is sure to be a unique collector’s item. The first 50 participants who donate $150 or more will also be sent a commemorative T-shirt with description of this unique year of dealing with the COVID-19 situation. The association will also provide awards to the top fundraisers, both as individuals and as a company. All awards, T-shirts, and coins will be distributed through the mail after the event to eliminate that “contact” aspect.
Since the inception of this event in the 1980s, the association has raised more than $280,000, of which nearly $180,000 has gone to Camp Sunshine and the remaining $100,000 has helped many other local kids’ activities, according to the release.
For more information and to register, visit mpda.org/trucking4kids.
For more information, call Jack Roussel, chairman of the Maine Trucking for Kids convoy committee, at 207-671-0524 or Jim Costa at 207-420-1816.
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