Melting hearts and changing lives
If you haven’t ever participated in a charitable fundraising event in the trucking industry, I can say as a matter of fact you are missing out. It’s a moving experience that words often fail to describe.
Thanks to an invitation from OOIDA senior member Marty Ellis, I made my third trip north to South Dakota for the Sioux Falls leg of the South Dakota Convoy for Special Olympics this year. It was my second trip with my now-20-year-old son Jake.
Now, mind you, it wasn’t difficult to convince the 13-year-old Jake to take a day off of school and go to the convoy years ago. But, when I asked the now-junior-in-college physics major if he wanted to go, he moved heaven and earth to make sure he had the time to go. I also can tell you with a great amount of certainty that it wasn’t a chance to spend a weekend with mom that motivated him.
It was the Special Olympics athletes and the salt-of-the-earth, giving truckers that drew us both back.
Society seems to have turned so sour in recent years. People just aren’t as nice as they used to be. Maybe that’s what makes events like these convoys so significant.
Truckers from all backgrounds come together for the good of others. And they all dig deep. But, it’s not just about the money, either. If that was it, telethons would serve the purpose.
It’s about connecting and outreach. Connecting with the athletes and community. Outreach to those who likely may not understand the charitable cause, Special Olympics in this instance, and the big hearts of the trucking community.
I posted myself up along the convoy route and met some locals in Sioux Falls who come out every year to wave at the trucks. I asked what they thought of it.
“The trucks are cool, but meeting all the drivers and seeing all the good they do for Special Olympics, that’s even better,” was one response I got.
As much as it is for the spectators, it’s better for the truckers. And if you ever get the opportunity, jump at it.
Because, I’ll tell you it’s hard to tell when watching the convoys if the smiles on the athletes faces are any bigger than the ones on the faces of the truckers they ride along with. You’ll help provide important money for these athletes, but you’ll also enjoy a life-changing experience that will stay with you. LL