The Tip Wa Antique Tractor & Engine Club gifted over $6,000 in donations to various Cass County organizations Tuesday night during their monthly meeting at the Walton Tipton Township Library.
Among the organizations receiving a $500 donation were the Walton Volunteer Fire Department, Cass County Community Foundation, Lewis Cass Future Farmers of America, Lewis Cass Marching Kings, Walton Police Department, Cass County 4-H, Walton Tipton Township Library, Anoka Community Church, Galveston Fire Department, the Miss Cass County Pageant, Lucerne Harrison Township Volunteer Fire Department, Royal Center Fire Department and the Young America Volunteer Fire Department.
“Over time our bank account has grown,” said Dean McCloskey, a club member who led the meeting Tuesday. “A lot of us got to thinking that we really wanted to do something to give back to the community because we have had some absolutely wonderful community support over the years.”
Deanna Crispin, CEO and president of the community foundation, said that thanks to a two for one match on community funds, the $500 gift would be matched for $1500 and the money would be used to fund equipment for local fire departments, help local libraries and community buildings.
Claire Crum, 4-H & Youth Development Extension Educator with Purdue Extension, said that the gift would go towards the tractor safety course that they teach in 4-H.
“In this project you can learn about tractor and vehicle safety, operating skills, parts identification and hopefully it will lead some of our 4-Hers into a potential career or they just have fun along the way,” she said. “We’d love to use it on that or for our Junior Leaders program which focuses on community service in Cass County.”
Ed Schroder, the Cass County Sheriff and Royal Center Fire Chief, said that the funds would go to help cover costs for supplies at the Royal Center Fire Department, stating that most supplies a fire department need are three times as costly as other items. It was a statement echoed by the other fire departments.
“Volunteer budgets are really low,” Schroder said. “And this helps offset that so we appreciate it.”
The Tip Wa tractor club started in 2004. Along with monthly meetings, the club holds a tractor drive (“epic tractor drives,” McCloskey said) and an annual tractor show that will take place on Sept. 6 and 7, 2025.
The Tip Wa Antique Tractor & Engine Club will welcome special guest Professor Fred Whitford from Purdue’s College of Agriculture at 7 p.m. on May 13.
