Danville Fairgrounds Truck & Tractor Pull

It’s paradoxical that two weeks ago I bragged about how I got 72 miles per gallon, yet today I’m writing about an event that will burn hundreds of gallons of fuel in a little over 4 hours! It’s the Danville-Pittsylvania County Fairgrounds Truck & Tractor Pull! We’ll be there along with our “Dollars for Dually” campaign helping God’s Pit Crew to replace their oldest dually truck.

This will be my very first tractor pull and I’m starting to get excited about it. I’ve heard that its a huge event with lots of excitement and that I just don’t know what I’ve been missing. Over the years I’ve made several loans for credit union members to “trick their truck”, but this will be my first experience seeing the fruits of such labors. It all starts Friday night at 7:30, gates open at 6:00. It continues Saturday night at the same time. Tickets are available at the door for $12, only $6 for kids ages 6-12. Kids under age 6 are free. Here’s a link to the flier. We’ll also be giving away some tickets for this event at our radio broadcast this evening at Sam’s Club.

Does this have anything to do with saving money or living life more efficiently? No. (Actually it’s quite the contrary.) Just something fun going on here in Southside VA.

Update 7-21-08: Here’s a link to some photos from the 2008 Danville Truck & Tractor Pull

Welcome to Danville, Part 2

I wonder how much money will pass through Danville’s new Home Depot this weekend?  The first big store at  Coleman Marketplace opened its doors yesterday.  Tomorrow should be a big day for them as the weather will be nice and homeowners around Danville, VA will no doubt find new reasons to work on old house projects.  I’m sure Home Depot will feel quite welcome here in Virginia’s Piedmont!

I want to thank Home Depot for inviting our own “Dollars for Dually” campaign to be at their Grand Opening on Saturday as well.  All donations will go towards helping God’s Pit Crew replace their oldest dually pickup truck.  We’ll be there from 10:00am until 2:00pm along with WAKG 103.3FM.

Finally if you visit the Home Depot Grand opening tomorrow here’s a link to a Behr paint rebate. (Expires 6/30/08)

Fly a Flag for the Children’s Miracle Network

Credit Unions across Virginia are once again helping the Children’s Miracle Network. Through the end of June, when you make a contribution of $5 to the Children’s Miracle Network you will receive a magnetic U.S. Flag to display proudly on any piece of metal that you choose. It’s great for cars, refrigerators, the side of your computer, or file cabinets at the credit union. But we don’t want to keep them on our file cabinets! We want you to take them home for a good cause. If you think of more places to display your Patriotism, feel free to leave it in the comments.

There are also some small cloth flags that you may take home if you make a contribution to our God’s Pit Crew Dollars For Dually campaign. Our supplies of flags are limited!

We Need a Truck-Load of Money! Literally.

When I first heard the name “God’s Pit Crew” I thought, “What in the world is that about?” Not being a big NASCAR fan the name didn’t really resound with me. However, when I found out who they are and what all they do, I thought, “Now that is simply incredible” and I was moved to tears at their presentation.

Here’s who they are. They’re unpaid volunteers, over 200 of ‘em. They’re all gifted helpers and with their combined knowledge & skill they know how to do or build just about anything. They believe in giving their time, energy, & resources towards making other people’s lives better.

Here’s what they do. When tornadoes and big storms come through anywhere around the Southern US devastating entire communities; When homes and churches are in disrepair; When local charities and food banks are low on resources; When economic hardship has sucked the life out of small towns; When people’s lives are de-railed and there seems to be no hope… God’s Pit Crew comes and injects hope into hopeless situations. Their slogan says it all, “Helping People Get Their Lives Back On Track!”

They don’t receive any profits at all for what they do. They do it completely based on faith and the financial support of ordinary people, mostly locals. They get great publicity when tragedy strikes far away and they make the big trip to rebuild places. But equally as impressive is the long list of local work they have done to benefit Southside Virginia and nearby areas in North Carolina. They have a long list of pictures, videos, and letters of thanks on their website, www.godspitcrew.org.

This summer Piedmont Credit Union is heading up a campaign to help God’s Pit Crew purchase a new dually pickup truck. They will use it to haul people and supplies all over the South. We’re calling it “Dollars for Dually”. It’s simple how it works. If you have some dollars we’re asking you to put some in the truck. Literally. The truck will be located at the credit union and other various locations with the window cracked just enough for money to fit through. Several local businesses also have donation canisters at their locations. For more information or to donate online please visit the website www.DollarsForDually.com. Below is a video excerpt of Randy Johnson speaking recently at our credit union’s annual meeting.

2008 Annual Meeting Recap

Well I tried to start a recap of our 39th Annual Meeting the night after the meeting but all I could think about was the big Dan River Mills Long Mill Fire. So here is the official Annual Meeting recap: There wasn’t much business to discuss this year. So we mainly focused on celebrating a good year last year and looking towards the future. There was a good meal with good company. Randy Johnson of God’s Pit Crew shared from his heart about the great work they do both at home and abroad for people in need. Wade Hopkins once again amazed kids and adults alike with his great magic tricks. The kids also played a life-sized game of Payday. I was really impressed by the kids who played. They made great decisions with their money and didn’t fall for any the bum deals I threw in.

Here’s a short 3 minute video of our 2008 Annual Meeting.

Thanks for being a member of the credit union! Next year’s will be our credit union’s 40th Anniversary. Ideas for a big celebration are welcomed!

Magic, Meetings, Tornado Warnings, and a Four Alarm Blaze!

What a night! Tonight Piedmont CU had it’s 39th Annual Meeting. This year’s meeting brought good food, good company, a great magic show, and an inspiring God’s Pit Crew presentation. However, the most memorable part of tonight will likely be the BIGGEST FIRE in Danville, VA history! One of the old Dan River Mills buildings went up in flames tonight. There are a few photos below. We saw the smoke rising from our meeting place 2 miles away at the community market. On the way home I could see it while crossing the Central Blvd. bridge. The fire closed down the Union Street bridge which provided a great place for onlookers to watch the fire from a safe distance. That’s where these photos came from.

To top the night off there were tornado warnings for Northern Pittsylvania County all over the radio and tv. I’ll do a follow-up post about the Annual Meeting in the coming days, it really was a good one.