COMMUNITY EVENT
The Pilot Club of Jones County is hosting the fifth annual Touch-A-Truck on Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the grounds of the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, raising funds for brain awareness. Admission into the event is $5.
Beth Coon, president of the Pilot Club of Jones County, said she’s excited for the Touch-A-Truck event this year and to see everyone out again.
“This is the fifth annual Touch-A-Truck, and the Sheriff’s Department here in Jones County has been a big help allowing the Pilot Club to be there to raise funds,” she said. “We use the funds to purchase our helmets to give out to all of the pre-K students here in Jones County, because we are all about brain safety and brain safety awareness.”
Coon said they hadn’t been able to give out the helmets for the past two years due to COVID-19, but they were recently able to give out their helmets. She said Touch-A-Truck is a fun activity for all ages, but it also helps them with their cause.
The president said there will be emergency vehicles, wreckers, dump trucks, school buses, police cars, fire trucks, construction trucks, service trucks, and more at the event for children to explore.
She said people will have a chance to indulge in hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, and cake.
“Touch-A-Truck is a great way for kids to be able to see the vehicles up close, get in them, blow the horns and experience things themselves. It’s great for them to be able to learn from a hands-on experience instead of being just told about them,” Coon said.
Fay Mathews, vice president of the Pilot Club of Jones County, said they gave out 241 helmets to the pre-K this year, as well as to Jones County Head Start. She said she likes the idea that their Touch-A-Truck event is for everyone, that there is something for every age to enjoy.
“Our goal is to promote brain safety and health, as well as supporting others who care for others,” she said. “We also support Project Lifesaver, where we have bracelets that track people for those who have Alzheimer’s and other things. We have two Pilot members who monitor this and change the batteries every month.”
Pat Jackson, the fundraising coordinator, said the helmets are important for the children in Jones County, because people only have one brain, and they have to protect it. She said the helmets get expensive, so they are happy for the funds raised at the event to be able to purchase the helmets for young children in the community.
“Everything that we raise funds for is going back into the community, whether it be helmets or bracelets. This is all for Jones County, helping with brains in some way. Between giving out helmets and doing things such as the puppet shows we put on for the kids, they will hopefully become more conscious of brain safety and why it’s important to protect their brains,” Jackson said.
Coon said the community seems to really enjoy Touch-A-Truck, and she can’t wait to see people come out. She said they are always looking for new members for the Pilot Club of Jones County, so she hopes people will ask questions about joining while they are out to have a good time at a fun, family event.
“This is a good way to spend time with your family and just have a good time. This is for a good cause, too,” she said. “My favorite thing is seeing the children and seeing how excited they get. It’s just a fun event to be a part of.”
