Craig Schultz is taking a 4,000-mile road trip across the country, only he isn’t driving a car. In hopes of raising awareness of juvenile diabetes, the New York state corrections officer is driving a Cat skid-steer loader from New York to Los Angeles.
Schultz began his fundraising campaign, “Drive Against Diabetes,” in New York City on the Today show Sept. 1, and will travel through 12 states on his way to California. He plans stop in several cities at Cat dealerships and Cat rental stores and expects to reach Los Angeles by mid November.
Diabetes has deeply affected Schultz’s life. His father, Harold Schultz, suffered from Type 1 diabetes his entire life and died of related complications in 1998.
“I always had this feeling in my heart that I could do more,” Schultz said. “Now with the support of generous organizations such as Caterpillar and its dealer network, I now have the opportunity to make a greater contribution and aid in the fight of this devastating disease.”
Before becoming a corrections officer, Schultz owned a landscaping business and used a skid steer in business operations. Now he uses it to voluntarily plow snow from church parking lots and senior citizens’ driveways.
“My father purchased my first skid steer for me,” Schultz said. “I thought of how I’ve used my skid steer to help others in the community, and I thought what a better way to honor my father and help those with juvenile diabetes by driving a Cat skid steer cross-country to raise money for research.”
Schultz is driving a Cat 236 skid-steer loader donated by Caterpillar and Syracuse Supply Company in Syracuse, N.Y.
All proceeds raised by the campaign will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International to help fund research. Donations can be made through the Drive Against Diabetes website and at participating Caterpillar dealers and The Cat Rental Store locations along the route.
To find out where Schultz is driving today, or if he will be in your area in the near future, click the links to the right.
