A retired farmer and auctioneer from Pennsylvania is about a month away from completing a cross-country trip aboard an antique tractor to raise funds for the Wounded Heroes charity. Last week, he rolled through the northern Indiana cities of Rochester, Warsaw, New Paris, Goshen and Shipshewana before moving east to Ohio and eventually to his home in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The man who is driving across the U.S. to raise money for wounded military veterans is Ivan Stoltzfus of Honey Brook, Pa. As he moves across the country at an average speed of 14 mph, he stops at various locations to raise funds for the Wounded Heroes charity. So far, he has raised well over $48,000.
Last Wednesday, he traveled up S.R. 15 from Warsaw to Goshen, stopping briefly at New Paris Tractor Parts at the intersection with U.S. 6 before moving north to Goshen to visit a relative. Last Thursday, he attended a fundraising luncheon hosted by Glen Riegsecker and American Reliance Industries in Shipshewana.
Riegsecker said he met Stoltzfus in Florida and at that time invited him to travel to northern Indiana during his cross-country journey.
The tractor Stoltzfus is driving is a fully restored 1948 John Deere A with a Peterbilt cab that protects him from the elements. The tractor also is towing a 24-foot trailer that serves as Stoltzfus' home away from home.
This is actually the retired farmer's second fundraising trip across America. The first adventure in 2014 generated $50,000 for the Wounded Heroes charity, and now he's hoping to top that amount with the 2016-17 effort. Stoltzfus's goal is to raise over $1 million for the nonprofit organization.
This particular journey began last October from Stoltzfus' home in southeastern Pennsylvania. He traveled south to Sarasota, Fla. and stayed there a few weeks before leaving in February for the West Coast. He passed through Texas, Colorado, California before heading north and east, passing through some high terrain in Idaho and Montana. He entered the Hoosier state from Illinois, and, after leaving Indiana, plans to continue his fundraising journey into Ohio. In mid-August, he plans to arrive in Gettysburg, Pa. to attend a big fundraising event there, then he will travel the final 45 miles to his home in Lancaster County.
Anyone can donate to his charity, "Across America for Wounded Heroes, Inc." To learn more and keep track of his journey across the U.S., visit www.helpa mericanheroes.com.