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 The
pink pedal tractor is donated by CIA at the urging of Matt Voelker.
This year the tractor was donated as a standard red, vintage
McCormick (International harvester) tractor. It was handed over to
Darin Schempp of Atlanta who has extensive experience in autobody
paint. Darin blended his own colors and worked to achieve the shade
he wanted to use this year, then painted the entire tractor pink.
New this year, he added the script “Relay for Life” on the side of
the engine hood of the tractor.
The Relay for Life team began selling tickets earlier this year with
boxes placed at Central Illinois Ag, Atlanta National Bank, and
Lincoln Daily News. Tickets were also sold at the Lincoln Speedway,
at Third Friday Downtown Lincoln, and other community events.
This year, the tractor raised more than $500 for the American Cancer
Society.
When the drawing was held on Monday, Voelker did the
honor of pulling the ticket out of the box, and handed it over to
Smith, who read it aloud for a video documentation of the winner.
SEE VIDEO FROM
MONDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2023
The winner was announced as Mary Johnson of Atlanta. After the
camera was turned off, Voelker laughed and said he was just sure
that Mary Johnson was Darin Schempp’s mother-in-law.
Castelein called Johnson, and sure enough, she is Cindy Schempp’s
mother. At the time of the call, Mary was busy with Christmas
baking, but said she was very excited to have won the tractor and
told Castelein “this is just the lift I needed today!” Johnson said
she could be available Wednesday morning to collect her prize at
Central Illinois Ag.
Voelker then called Schempp and told him the prize would be given to
the winner on Wednesday. He told Schempp that before he came to CIA,
he would need to make a stop and pick up the winner. Schempp got
quite a chuckle out of hearing that it was Johnson who had won the
tractor.
Wednesday morning, Darin and Cindy Schempp and Mary
Johnson were met at CIA by Castelein, White, and Voelker.
Visiting with Johnson, Castelein learned that she has
13 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren, the oldest of which is
only six and the youngest little more than an infant. The tractor
will not be given to any one child, but rather Johnson plans to keep
it at her house for everyone to enjoy when they come for visits.
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Castelein then asked who was going to be the first
person to ride the tractor. “I thought she would try to choose one
of the 13 great grand kids, so it was quite a surprise when she
responded ‘ME!’,” said Castelein. “Then she got on the tractor and
away she went!”
SEE THE VIDEO OF MARY JOHNSON AND HER NEW
TOY TRACTOR – PART ONE
Everyone enjoyed watching Johnson pedal the tractor through the
lobby at the dealership.
“When we opened the door and she headed out to the
parking lot, I thought maybe she was going to go load it up and take
it home right then,” said White.
SEE THE VIDEO OF MARY JOHNSON AND HER NEW
TOY TRACTOR – PART TWO
But she did eventually come back inside after a nice ride. She told
Castelein that in her home, she has a long basement. She plans to
rearrange some things in the basement to make a long runway down the
center for the “tractor path” for the kids to enjoy.
For the past several years, Central Illinois Ag has donated the
pedal tractor to the Relay for Life team. The pedal tractor
tradition began with the late Ken Harnacke in New Holland, who
donated the first two in honor of his wife who is a breast cancer
survivor. When Ken passed away, Matt Voelker, whose mother was a
cancer warrior, took up the tradition, with the full support of his
employer Central Illinois Ag.
The Friends and Family Relay for Life team is appreciative of the
donation each year, those who help to rase money by selling tickets,
and of course, those who purchase the tickets. One hundred percent
of the ticket sales will be forwarded to the American Cancer Society
for use in cancer research, awareness and education, and warrior
support and services.
And, in case you missed out this year, Voelker said Monday that he
is ready to starting thinking about what he will bring to the mix
next year. So, keep an eye on Lincoln Daily News for announcements
in early to mid-summer 2024.
[Nila Smith]
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