Special Olympics truck convoys keep rolling with event in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The dollars will continue to roll in for the Special Olympics this weekend, and the organization has truck drivers to thank for it.

The 16th annual Truck Convoy for Special Olympics South Dakota will be Saturday, Sept. 22, in Sioux Falls, S.D. Last year, the convoy garnered 202 trucks and raised $64,000. Organizers are optimistic they can generate even better totals this year.

“We’re hoping for 225 trucks, and we’d like to bump it up to $70,000. That’s our goal,” said Marty Ellis, an OOIDA senior member from Carl Junction, Mo., who is chairman of the convoy’s planning committee.

The event opens Friday night with a poker tournament. To see a full schedule of events and register online for the convoy, go here.

In addition to this weekend’s convoy in Sioux Falls, the South Dakota Special Olympics will host another convoy fundraiser Sept. 28-29 in Rapid City, S.D.

Several truck convoys take place across North America to generate money for Special Olympics. Last week, the 14th annual Brant County Special Olympics Truck Convoy in Ontario, Canada raised about $75,000.

“It was an awesome day,” said Ken Daehn an OOIDA member and volunteer for the Ontario convoy. “Everybody from volunteers to drivers to athletes had tremendous fun and are counting down the days until next year’s event.”

Jon Osburn, skipper of OOIDA’s touring tractor-trailer, has taken the Spirit of the American Trucker to Sioux Falls for the Truck Convoy for Special Olympics South Dakota. Land Line Managing Editor Jami Jones also will be there.

Another popular convoy for Special Olympics is held annually at the Guilty By Association Truck Show in Joplin, Mo. Last year’s convoy included about 420 trucks and raised about $115,000. Register for the show here.