Tractor ride to benefit Cures
By Steve Herring
Published in News on August 28, 2017 5:50 AM
MOUNT OLIVE -- The M.F. McCullen Jr. family and friends will host the third annual Eastern Carolina Tractor Ride to benefit Cures for the Colors on Saturday, Sept. 23.
The first two rides raised more that $37,000 for the nonprofit Cures for the Colors that spends all of the money it raises to help cancer victims in eastern North Carolina with paying for daily essentials, such as gas for medical appointments, groceries and utilities.
The event will once again be held at the McCullen family farm located about six miles east of Mount Olive on N.C. 55.
The gates will open at 9 a.m. for the tractors to start lining up. The tractor ride starts at 10 a.m. for a 15-mile ride through rural Wayne and Duplin counties.
A lunch of barbecued pork and turkey with all the trimmings will be served by volunteers starting at 11:30 a.m.
An auction of items donated by local businesses and friends of the community will start at 1 p.m.
Live music will be provided by the Harmony Boys and the antique buildings will be open for self-guided tours.
The requested donation is $25 per person, which includes lunch, entertainment and touring of the buildings.
People can also catch a ride on a trail or for the tractor ride. There is limited seating so it is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Those bringing a tractor are asked to make a $50 donation.
Registration forms are available on line at easterncarolinatractorride.com. Mail the form and your donation to the address on the form.
Event T-shirts are available for $20.
McCullen had wanted to put on a tractor ride for the past several years after seeing one in the western part of the state.
It also was a way for him and his wife, Faye, to pay forward the help their son, Chad, a cancer survivor, received from Cures for the Colors.
The McCullens had hoped the first Eastern Carolina Tractor Ride would raise $10,000 for Cures for the Colors -- it raised $17,724. Last year's ride brought in more than $20,000.
The 2016 event was a great success and lots of fun, the family said.
The ride featured 52 tractors, and the N.C. Department of Agriculture also brought out the Got To Be NC giant shopping cart.
More than 450 people were in attendance.
Dr. James Atkins of Southeastern Cancer Care founded Cures for the Colors.
Those receiving help from Cures for the Colors must be on active chemotherapy, radiation or within 3 months of surgery.
Each person can receive to $1,500 a year, based on income, not on assets.
For more information about the tractor ride, call 919-658-4778 or 919-738-7997.