Once the hubbub of the first day of classes slowed for most Cloud County Community College (CCCC) students, various Ford vehicles from a topless Ford Bronco to the largest F-150 imaginable greeted them for Farm Country Ford's annual Drive 4UR Community.
According to Farm Country Ford owner Darell Gallegos, his local business has partnered with the Ford Motor Company to conduct this fundraiser for the last three years. The goal at each event is to have enough participants test drive new vehicles to raise up to $6,000 to donate to CCCC Athletics.
"We choose an organization to work with and raise funds for," Gallegos said. "The opportunity came up where their athletics department was needing to upgrade some things, and so we decided we could come into play, partner with Ford Motor Company and create this program for the college here."
Each test drive would mark $30 for donation to the college athletic program, and during the 2026 event, the company raised the full amount, $6,000, to donate toward CCCC's athletics. Gallegos said that their goal is $6,000 every year, which requires about 200 test drives to accomplish.
Often, though, the event will see 300 to 400 test drives over the span of three hours, which is roughly 115 cruises around a few blocks every hour. According to Gallegos, even though this is an event to fundraise cash for a specific cause, those who conduct the test drives do not pay to participate and only must register before and then answer a quick survey after.
"Some demographics aren't shopping, especially for new vehicles. So this gives them a chance to get excited, get behind the wheel of a brand new vehicle, something unique. We try and bring a fun selection," Gallegos said. "I'm a true believer in the community; without the community, none of us thrive and survive as businesses. So, we need our community to thrive and be strong for the generations to come."
A group of young college students had the chance to take a ride in the topless Ford Bronco among a few other vehicles, including freshmen Rylie Jessup, Madi Meier and Arihanna Koehn, alongside sophomore Taegan Lindenman. According to the crew, they enjoyed driving some vehicles that they've never driven before while also supporting their own college.
While waiting in line for the Ford F-150 truck, the group of girls mentioned that the the topless Ford Bronco felt like a perfect summer vehicle, providing a nice breeze as they drove in the area surrounding the college.
"I've never driven a Bronco before, so that was really cool," Jessup said. "I like Broncos; they drive nice and they're a super nice car."
Alongside the group of four women were dozens of other college students, instructors and community members who attended. A few students and Farm Country Ford volunteers handed out refreshments from underneath tents to escape the heat of the day, since the event took place from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
CCCC Assistant Athletic Director Madi Odette helps organize the Drive 4UR Community event on the college side, and she sees the value in not only the cash raised, but also the connections made during the event.
"Ford has been such a great supporter for us, and with the fact that we had such a great turnout last year from our students, faculty, staff and even the community, they were willing to come back again," Odette said. "Especially with it being the first day back, there's a lot of excitement, and so just having everybody here on campus, mingling, getting to know each other; it's just a great opportunity for the community as well as our students."
According to Odette, everyone who participated and attended the CCCC volleyball scrimmage later that evening had the opportunity to enter into a raffle and win a few prizes, including a free pizza voucher and an El Puerto's gift certificate. She also said that the funds raised during the Drive 4UR Community event will go toward a few things, namely among those being the college's new video board in the gymnasium.
Funds left over from the video board's expenses will then go into the athletic department's general fund for athletic scholarships.
