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October 26, 2016 (More Photos) - Here Comes the Fuzz was the winning team in the inaugural Gibson's Annual Truck Pull competition held October 22, 2016 at the Windham Civic Center. Participants in the event gathered on the chilly morning behind the facility and got ready to tug the line on an 18-wheeler.
Seven teams participated in the fundraiser including two Gibsons teams, Center Volunteer Fire Department, 936 Crossfit, The Fighting Foxes, Hallmark Center Fixture Operations and Here Comes the Fuzz.
The first round of pulls was an elimination round with the top three fastest teams moving forward to the second round. As a result the top three from the first round were Here Comes the Fuzz, Gibsons 2 and the Fighting Foxes. In the second round the top times were Here Comes the Fuzz with 8.50 seconds, Gibsons 2 with a time of 8.83 seconds and The Fighting Foxes with a time of 9.95 seconds.
After the adults pulled the 18-wheeler, two teams of children joined in for a junior event pulling a Mule ATV and were awarded for their participation. Junior Shelby County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors were on hand to help with the event and when it was over they also got the opportunity to give the Mule a pull.
At the beginning of the truck pull Lenny Dupuis, Gibsons Regional Manager, spoke about Gibsons commitment to giving back to the community. He said Gibsons locally employs 50 families and in total the company employs around 2,300 throughout the United States and Canada
"Gibsons has been a part of the Shelby County area since the beginning of 2011, and employees and local residents which are a majority of them have volunteered to be here today. As Gibson employees campaign our office, all the divisional locations have sponsored fundraisers to give back to their communities. Our division chose to give back to the heart of our community," said Dupuis.
Dupuis stated Gibsons is truly honored to sponsor children's advocacy in Center with the truck pull fundraiser.
Denise Merriman, Shelby County Children's Advocacy Director, was introduced by Dupuis. She thanked everyone for participating in the truck pull and Gibsons for sponsoring the event and their support in making children's issues more widely known by the community.
Leanne Kay Rafferty, 123rd District Judge-elect, also expressed her appreciation for those present and hopes for it to continue every year. She spoke on the SCCAC and what its purpose is in the community.
"Even being a lawyer, until I came back here and really got more involved, I was not aware of the services that the Children's Advocacy Center provides and the widespread abuse of children that occurs in our county and in East Texas in general," said Rafferty. "These cases are not on the news, the children's names and things are protected and so it's not widely publicized and so you just don't know how prevalent that is."
Rafferty commended Merriman on the job she has done at the SCCAC and in promoting awareness of abuse. She shared the center has a new location and how the team of personnel involved provide medical examinations, counseling and recovery services for children who have been victims of abuse.
"They work with both CPS in civil cases, they work with law enforcement and the District Attorney in criminal matters to ensure that these children receive the justice that they deserve," said Rafferty.
According to CAC information Rafferty shared, over 800 reports of child abuse occur each year in Shelby County.
"I just thank Denise and the Children's Advocacy Center for providing a voice for these children so that they may recover from any abuse that they have sustained," said Rafferty.
In addition to the generous donations of teams in the truck pull, Gibsons will contribute funds matching that of which were donated by the participants.
Denise Mathews, a Gibson employee who helped with organizing the fundraiser, commented following the event, "We had a great time and a lot of good feedback from the community. The community response and everyone having such a good time was priceless. All of our employees and several other teams are already planning on next years!"
