In efforts to help raise money for local schools, Mansfield Early Childhood PTA, also known MECPTA, hosted a Touch-A-Truck fundraiser April 30.
Attendees could purchase items at several booths like Public Works and Keller Williams Realty to help raise money for the cause. Fourth Vice President Community Service Coordinator Megan Ross was in charge of fundraising this year. The Touch-A-Truck event remains the biggest fundraiser for the group for the past 13 years the program has existed.
“We’re so thankful,” Ross said. “It’s helped us gain so much exposure because now we can say Touch-A-Truck and people go ‘Oh yes! I know what that is. I love that event. My kids love that event.’ It being the third year, we’re looking so forward to [the future].”
The first Touch-A-Truck event brought in about 100 cars, so the members decided to invite vendors and food trucks to help out. In order to appeal more to customers, MECPTA also set up a bounce house. Ross said the amount of people has tripled each year.
“I feel like kids of all ages really enjoy the vehicles and getting on the construction and getting to get into the firetruck,” Ross said. “I mean I haven’t seen a disappointed kid all day.”
Instead of MECPTA sponsoring one school like a regular PTA, they try to help the entire community. One of the members of MECPTA was familiar with Touch-A-Truck done by the Fort Worth Academy and decided it would be a great idea for Mansfield to try out. In August and September, the committee started discussing ideas, and around Christmas time, MECPTA set a date and launched recruitment. Overall, it took a minimum of four months to plan everything.
“We thought it sounded great,” Ross said. “You would not think a kid would think a school bus is cool and just want to get on it.”
Junior Tyler Due crafts and sells woodwork that he makes with his father. After working on building the furniture for almost a year, Due and his father sold their furniture and advertised their company at the event. Ross encourages other vendors to come out and participate in Touch-A-Truck next year.
“We hope to have a bigger crowd next year,” Ms. Ross said. “[It’s] always our hope that moving forward, year after year, that more and more people would hear about it.”
