Granting wishes
Another Mother’s Day Truck Convoy is in the books for Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware and Susquehanna Valley. The organization held its 33rd annual convoy on May 8 in Manheim, Pa.
The day kicked off with a family-friendly carnival followed by the departure of the convoy. Drivers from across the country, 277 in total, drove the 26-mile route starting at the Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction.
Two kids who recently had their wishes granted, 9-year-old Bella and 14-year-old Hailey, were named “convoy coaches.” The two were there to help cheer on the drivers and gave the signal for the trucks to start blowing their horns to begin the convoy route. Terry Finch, convoy committee chairperson, said it was a great event.
“We were very pleased with the number of people that turned out for the event,” Finch told Land Line Now. “The weather held off for us. It was cool but not raining. And I think everyone there had a great time.”
While Finch said they were pleased with the turnout, she also acknowledged the current high price of diesel fuel may have affected the total number of trucks and caused some drivers to skip the event.
“We were asking drivers to donate to raise funds but to also donate their time and donate their equipment,” Finch said. “So to come to Manheim, and then travel on the 26-mile convoy route, I’m certain that led some people to just focus their fundraising efforts virtually. We had a lot of people who registered online and raised funds that way but weren’t able to come to the event.”
This year marked a return to a full-scale convoy for Make-A-Wish. The previous two years were held at limited capacity due to the pandemic. Finch said seeing the convoy return to normal was a welcomed sight.
“I was very happy to see all of the supporters that came out for us through the day. Not only at Manheim Auto Auction, where we had all of our activities going on, but also along the convoy route,” she said. “We had people lined up on the sides of the roads, on the sidewalks, on overpasses, waving and cheering on the truck drivers. That’s always been a big part of our event, and we were very happy to see everyone come back out for that again this year.”
The annual event, according to the organization’s website, “celebrates our current and former wish kids, while raising money to grant more wishes for children with critical illnesses.” The convoy raises over 75% of the funds for wishes granted by the Philadelphia, Delaware and Susquehanna Valley Chapter.
Sponsored drivers raise funds throughout the year to help keep the wishes flowing. Finch says truckers have a tremendous impact on their fundraising efforts.
“I would say over the past five or six years, we’ve been seeing that the truck driver fundraising has actually raised almost or more than 50% of our total funds for the year,” Finch said. “So I’m not surprised that we’re already past 50%, even 60% of our goal just by the funds that the truck drivers have raised.”
As of press time, the convoy had raised $490,647, which is 76% of the Make-A-Wish organization’s $623,000 goal for 2022. Fundraising drivers participating in the convoy had until Father’s Day, June 19, to turn in their final donations. LL