2015 marks the 57th year of the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade, a statewide effort to benefit the mental health hospitals located throughout Georgia, and Macon-Bibb County is currently collecting items for distribution at Central State Hospital.
To watch a video from the Georgia Municipal Association and the City of Douglas about Central State Hospital and the impact the Mayors Motorcade has on the patients there, click here.
Anyone wishing to contribute to this year’s Motorcade may drop off donations at any Government Center (700 Poplar Street) before November 27. A list of suggested items can be read by clicking here, and monetary donations can also be made by making out a check to “Macon-Bibb County, GA,” and bringing it to the Mayor’s Office at Government Center. Last year, Macon-Bibb County collected six bins full of gifts and almost $1,800 in monetary donations.
On December 1, Macon-Bibb County will take the gifts and supplies to the patients of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville. The truck will leave from Government Center at 11:30 a.m., and Central State Hospital will hold a ceremony for all the participating cities at 1:30 p.m. Dorothy Hubbard, Mayor of Albany and Statewide Chair of this year’s Motorcade, will attend the Macon-Bibb County Commission Meeting that evening at 6:00 p.m. to thank our community for its participation and support. Mrs. Hubbard’s biography and information about her service to the Albany community can be read by clicking here.
The Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) started the Motorcade at the request of Betty Vandiver, wife of then-Governor Ernest Vandiver, to provide gifts for the patients and to raise awareness of the needs of these hospitals.