The Macon-Bibb County Commission is currently collecting gifts and supplies for patients at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville as part of the annual Mayors’ and Commissioners’ Motorcade. Below is a lift of suggested items that can be donated.
“This is a perfect time to give and a great opportunity to help others,” says District 9 Commissioner Al Tillman, who is this year’s local chair for the fundraiser.
From now until November 30, people can drop off items in Commission Chambers at Government Center (700 Poplar Street) or the Bibb County Courthouse (601 Mulberry Street). A check can also be written so gifts can be bought; it should be made out to “Macon-Bibb County, Georgia” and brought to the Mayor’s Office in Government Center.
The Macon-Bibb County Youth Commission have undertaken it as one of their service projects. The Georgia Secretary of State’s Student Ambassadors, which is a partnership with the Macon-Bibb Board of Elections, has also joined in the effort to collect gifts and supplies. Click here to watch a MaconBibbTV video on the 2016 Mayors’ Motorcade.
On December 5, Macon-Bibb County will take gifts and supplies donated to the patients of Central State Hospital in Milledgeville. Central State Hospital will hold a ceremony for all the participating cities that day beginning at 1:30 p.m.
About the Motorcade
Source: Georgia Municipal Association
The Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) began the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade in 1959 at the request of then-Governor Ernest Vandiver as a way of providing holiday gifts for the patients of Georgia’s mental health and retardation hospitals. The program is also aimed at raising the awareness of the needs of Georgia’s mental hospitals.
There are currently five regional mental health hospitals in the state, serving some 3,200 Georgians. Many of these clients have lived in the hospital facility for much of their lives and receive little, if any, support from their families. Without the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade, the staff at these hospitals have told us, many of their clients would not receive a gift for the holidays.
The Christmas spirit demonstrated by cities during the Motorcade extends beyond the holiday season. Any gifts not handed out during Christmas are used for client birthdays or given to newly arrived clients, who may need many of the items. In this way, cities help the hospitals celebrate special occasions year-round and help the hospitals meet the needs of their clients.