Beyond expectations

For Alfred Sellers, a commitment to giving back may be more of a calling.

Sellers is the president of the Southern Indiana Truck Convoy, an annual event to help raise funds for Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. In the late 1990s, his daughter was the recipient of a wish – a driving force behind Sellers wanting to help the organization that he says has a “special place” in his heart.

“Make-A-Wish has put thousands of smiles on the faces of many children and helped families forget their worries for a time,” Sellers said. “It just feels good to be able to give back to somebody who is in need, who could use a break in life, because life knocks so many people down.”

Entering their second year, Sellers and his team had one goal: to surpass last year’s donation total of $17,000 to the local Make-A-Wish chapter.

With the 2023 event in the books, the convoy did more than just exceed last year’s amount – it shattered it. This year, the convoy – held on Aug. 5 at the Ripley County Fairgrounds in Osgood, Ind. – raised $53,000.

“It just raised the bar that much higher to try to do better next year,” Sellers said.

The culmination of what Sellers called “three months of work by a group of great people,” the event featured live music, food vendors, a silent auction and family-friendly activities to go along with the convoy. In total, 49 trucks participated in the convoy.

Sellers said the large donation was made possible in part due to a “major bidding war” between Batesville, Ind.-based Crum Trucking and Baylor Trucking of Milan, Ind., for the lead truck spot in the convoy.

“It’s just an extremely worthy charity,” Brandon White, operations manager with Baylor Trucking, said. “There’s been multiple people that have been touched by that charity that we’ve known over the years, and it’s just a really good cause to participate in.”

Katie Ferrell, director of marketing and communications for Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, said that while the group has fulfilled a record number of wishes this year, there are still hundreds more left to grant.

“We’re filled with gratitude to have the support of truckers. They’re changing lives and giving local children and their families hope,” Ferrell said. “Now more than ever, the world needs the hope of a wish. We can’t grant wishes without generous people like them.”

“I’m still pretty much speechless over how this year turned out,” Sellers said. “It was such a large number, I’d never even dreamed it would get that big.”

As far as goals for next year’s convoy, Sellers said he and his team “would just like to build on what we have going, being able to help a great cause and have fun while doing it.” LL