Future YMCA child care center gifted 85 antique tractors

John Deere isn’t a synonym for love for just Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean.  

Easley community leader Jimmy Wilson recently donated his collection of 85 antique tractors, valued at more than $500,000, to the Powdersville YMCA.  

Proceeds from an Oct. 9 tractor auction will be earmarked for the YMCA’s future Child Development and Training Center.  

The center will offer primary child care for infants through 4K, as well as services and training for family caregivers and expectant mothers in the Powdersville and Wren community. Construction is expected to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million, according to a news release.  

“The YMCA is one of the best things that’s ever happened to the Powdersville community,” Wilson said in the news release. "We celebrate that we can play a small part in the YMCA's growth by donating these great tractors to be auctioned."  

Wilson’s tractors, some dating back to 1919, have been restored to original working condition and range in value from $10,000 to $40,000 each.  

“This gift from Mr. Wilson is an unbelievable blessing for our YMCA and we will use this to continue our mission for more life-changing work in the Powdersville community,” Sid Collins, CEO of the YMCA of Easley, Pickens and Powdersville, said in the release. “Mr. Wilson has a heart for this community and we want to honor this gift by establishing a new CDTC in his honor so that the lives of thousands of families will be positively impacted for years to come.”  

The auction will be hosted by Steve Crowe, owner of Foothills MotorSports, at 300 Shiloh Road in Piedmont.