City of Fayetteville Participating in Mayor’s Christmas Motorcade

The City of Fayetteville will be doing its part to make the holiday season special for residents of the state’s mental health and retardation hospitals.

For 52 years, cities across Georgia have brought the joy of the holiday season to patients at Georgia’s seven regional mental health and retardation hospitals through the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade.

The program, begun by the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) in cooperation with Governor Ernest Vandiver, relies on citizen participation in each city to donate gifts for the patients, many of who would not receive gifts or be recognized without the Mayor’s Christmas Motorcade. According to hospital staff, many of the patients at these hospitals have lived there most of their lives and have little, if any, support or contact with friends and family.

Donated items from the City of Fayetteville will be delivered to West Central Georgia Regional Hospital in Columbus, Ga. on December 2, 2010. Civic organizations, businesses, churches, schools, scout troops and individual citizens are encouraged to help with the collection of gifts for the Mayors’ Christmas Motorcade. For more information on how groups can participate, please call Anne Barnard at 770-719-4159.

Based in Atlanta, GMA is a voluntary, non-profit organization that provides legislative advocacy, educational, employee benefit and technical consulting services to its 512 member cities.

Letter from Fayetteville Mayor Ken Steele:

In the state of Georgia there are several thousand citizens living in Georgia’s seven regional mental health and retardation hospitals. Many of these patients have lived in these hospitals most of their lives and have little, if any, contact with or support from friends or family.

Fifty two years ago, in 1958, the Georgia Municipal Association and then Governor Ernest Vandiver created the Mayor’s Christmas Motorcade to help these hospital patients celebrate Christmas by providing each with a present. The staff at the regional hospitals tells us that without the Mayor’s Christmas Motorcade, many patients would go without any type of gift or recognition during the holidays.

Our city has started its gift collection campaign and we are asking for your help. The hospital clients are part of our community, drawn from a region, and we would like to encourage all of you to remember them this holiday season. West Central Georgia Regional Hospital located in Columbus is the hospital that the City of Fayetteville is supporting. If your school, church, business, or civic group would like to partner with the City of Fayetteville in participating in an outstanding holiday community project, please contact Anne Barnard at (770) 719-4159 for further information on how you can get involved.

You will find enclosed a prepared “Christmas Wish List” for the clients. Let's not forget those less fortunate during the holiday season.

Thank you for your support,
Mayor Ken Steele
City of Fayetteville