Mary Joy’s Joy Ride: Community gathers for memorial to celebrate life of lost teen
Published 9:00 am Saturday, June 22, 2024
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If you were walking down West Point on Wednesday night, you probably saw a parade of pink funneling into Johnny’s Pizza. The “Jeeping for Joy ride for Mary Joy” took place yesterday, which saw over 100 cars, motorcycles, and jeeps escorted from Troup High School, through the county and ended at Johnny’s.
The ride was in celebration of Mary Joy Moosman’s eighteenth birthday. Moosman, who had attended Troup High and been a resident of West Point, passed away after being in a car accident on May 16. Four other students were in the car, and one of the kids in the accident, Hadilee Arnold, is still recovering.
The event drew both the LaGrange and West Point Community together. The parade of cars included many pink bows, which have become symbols for Moosman.
The registration fee for the event will go to a scholarship fund in Moosman’s name. Scholarships will be awarded to three Troup High students annually, a varsity soccer player, a competitive cheerleader, and an academic scholarship.
Over $5,500 was raised for the fund. This included tickets for the ride, decals made by Amanda Everett and T-shirts made by Melissa Cotton Organizer. Michelle Partain aims to make the ride an annual event in order to offer the scholarship for years to come. She thanked Ben Hamilton, owner of Johnny’s Pizza, for help organizing the event. Hamilton donated all the proceeds from the celebration dinner to the scholarship fund as well.
After the ride, those clad in pink congregated at Johnny’s, where Moosman used to work, for a celebration. Kit and Charlie Key, known as Kit + Char, provided the music for the event.