On the morning of August 26, 2023, a formidable brigade of heavy-duty trucks from all over the Southeast will be lining up at the South Carolina State Farmers Market for a unified purpose: to demonstrate their support of the Special Olympics. As local law enforcement officers escort this miles-long convoy onto the highway and complete the designated route, these participating motorists will be mobilizing their forces to raise awareness and funds for this worthy cause.
The primary driving force behind the local Special Olympics Convoy is Mike Still, Torch Run® liaison for the Special Olympics in South Carolina. While working as an officer for the State Transport Police (STP), the law enforcement division that enforces federal regulations and state laws pertaining to commercial vehicles, Still began volunteering for the Torch Run, a grassroots campaign that unites officers to raise funds and awareness for the Special Olympics.
“When the law enforcement Torch Run raises money for Special Olympics,” says Still, “every dollar goes to the athletes, whether it be for buying uniforms, buying awards, or getting their families to the events. It’s a great partnership.”
As a Torch Run volunteer, Officer Still heard about a truck convoy charitable event started by an officer in Florida, and his interest was piqued. In his role as a STP officer he says he saw the kindness of truck drivers and learned about the truck convoy and thought it would be an incredible opportunity to join together.
After sharing the idea with his coworkers, the South Carolina Special Olympics Convoy was officially launched in 2007. However, “I found out really quick that I needed help,” says Still. While attending a safety awareness event, he connected with Tim Cooley, a trucker and road team captain for the South Carolina Trucking Association.
“I told him about the convoy, and I told him I needed help with recruiting,” he recalls. “I knew that I had a good event, but it’s hard for me to get the truck drivers there. So, he took on that aspect of it, and he and a group of truck drivers have helped me to grow this thing incredibly.”
“Mike has wanted me to come alongside him,” says Cooley. “We’ve made so many friends, and I enjoy getting involved in the middle of everything to make new friends. I think I’ve met people with my passion and my interest, and my thing is coming together as people, and making new friends has been my favorite part of it.”
“In the first year, we had 24 trucks, and it was a bunch of my friends and things we got together,” says Cooley, a second-generation truck driver who has a bachelor’s degree in business from USC Spartanburg and has been driving for UPS for 32 years.
Since those days, the number of truckers and officers involved in the convoy has multiplied. Last year they had 213 trucks and raised over $76,000. The STP is the host agency, but they have almost 10 local police agencies that are a part of it. The Sheriff’s Departments of Lexington and Richland Counties are among them, and Still specifically commends Sheriff Lott for his resourceful assistance. “They actually bring out two of their buses,” he says, “so our athletes and their families (which about 100 normally attend) get to be a part of the convoy, it’s an incredible event.”
Because of its growing success, the administrative duties of the convoy are overseen by a committee of seven or more volunteers. “What I like to pride ourselves in,” says Cooley, “is we furnish everything for the convoy. We do all the promotional; I’ve got a friend of mine that helps get together all the food and coordinates all that; and there’s about a half dozen of us that provide the finances for that. It’s satisfying knowing that we can all jump in as a group of truck drivers and coordinate this and have a good time and do what we enjoy.”
On the day of the event, athletes are often included in the proceedings. As an example, Still mentions that a Special Olympics participant who is going to the World Games in Germany has been invited to sing the National Anthem at the upcoming opening ceremony. Other families are asked to share testimonials about how meaningful the Special Olympics has been to them, and a Lexington cheerleading team may be coming to show their support and rally the crowd.
The truckers or trucking companies who apply to join the convoy are asked to donate at least $100 to Special Olympics, and logos of these contributors are posted in event advertisements. The top-ten drivers who have raised the most funds for the event lead the pack with the highest bidder at the front of the line, “which is a very big honor,” says Still. “The second highest gets to be the last truck in the convoy.”
As the big-wheeled procession cranks up and trundles past, supporters gather around the entrance of the Farmers Market, flank the highway, and wait at the Interstate exits along the convoy’s route to cheer and take pictures. “It’s quite a spectacle to see when it’s going up I-77,” says Still. “If you can imagine, we line up nose-to-tail 200 trucks, and we go out onto the road and go up I-77 to Percival Road, loop around, and come back.”
In the recent past, Cooley filmed the convoy with his dash cam and estimates that the truck procession extended for at least five miles long. Upon their return, the festivities continue. They have a celebration luncheon, award ceremony, and an auction [of trucker-oriented items such as hats, truck parts, and trucker paraphernalia]. They give out a variety of awards such as oldest driver, youngest driver, the oldest truck, the biggest contributors, the farthest traveler, the team with the most trucks, and a team award.
Still explains that all truck drivers and their families are invited but it is a public event as well, anyone can come. He says, “The cool thing about our truck convoy is, so many of our companies are what we call mom-and-pops, owner-operator, so we have good-looking trucks, it’s almost like a truck show.”
Although the convoy’s obvious mission is to raise funds and awareness for the Special Olympics, it is also a day to celebrate truck drivers and the trucking industry. Still explains, “If you think about it, everything that we own, everything that makes our life more convenient, where we got it – it got there on the back of a truck. Truck drivers spend a lot of hours away from home, holidays, and all of that,” he adds, “so that we live a better life. And then on top of that, they’re just wonderful people.”
Cooley seconds this notion when he says, “I think one of my heartfelt concerns is to give a positive outlook on our industry as far as drivers that give up their time and give up their nights and give up their holidays to provide for the public, and to do the services that we do. This shows the heart of the people. If you use what you have – like a love for trucks or love for your job or your industry and put it to good use in a positive way for them – that’s just what it’s all about.”
“We get to celebrate truck drivers, but at the same time, they help us raise money for Special Olympics, so it’s just been an incredible partnership,” says Still. “Come!” exclaims Cooley. “I promise you’ll have a good time, and once you come, you’ll want to become part of the convoy family – and that’s the way I address it on Facebook. It’s not just a bunch of drivers; you become part of our convoy family once you come and participate and support this cause.” “Showing the heart of the people that are involved in it is what’s my number one thing is,” he says. “We have a heart for children, we have a heart for people in general, and these Special Olympic athletes just tug at your heartstrings.”
The latest updates about the convoy can be found on their “SC World’s Largest Convoy for Special Olympics” Facebook page. Additional information, which includes a downloadable registration packet for convoy applicants, is available on their website.