After 30 years, a fundraising fixture in the trucking industry has a new home and a new route starting next year.
The annual Mother’s Day Truck Convoy will no longer begin at the Burle Business Park in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and travel to Ephrata and back. When this year’s event closed, organizers learned they would have to find a new home.
And, they did.
Truckers helped raise $600,542 in this year’s convoy.Starting next May the convoy that benefits Make-A-Wish ofPhiladelphia, Delaware and Susquehanna Valley will begin at the Manheim Auto Auction in Manheim. Since there is no accessible truck route from Manheim to Ephrata, the convoy’s destination in the past, it will now travel through Mt. Joy and back.
The Mother’s Day Truck Convoy has funded 1,629 of the 1,800 wishes Make-A-Wish has granted since it came to the Susquehanna Valley. The RoadPro Family of Brands is the sponsor of the convoy and was recently honored by the charity for its support.
The annual Mother’s Day Convoy in Lancaster, Pennsylvania attracted more than 500 trucks last May.This past May the convoy set a new fundraising record. Truckers helped raise $600,542, which was $100,000 more than the total brought in by last year’s event, according to a spokesperson for Make-A-Wish.
Make-A-Wish has said the Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction is allowing the convoy use of their parking lots, which will have enough space to accommodate the 500 trucks expected to participate. Manheim will also have plenty of parking for community members that join the festivities in addition to the convoy.
Comments from organizers said:
“Make-A-Wish of Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley will be forever grateful for the hospitality that Burle Business Park, residents of Ephrata, and the surrounding communities have shown for the Make-A-Wish Mother’s Day Truck Convoy.
RoadPro Family of Brands is the sponsor of the annual Mother’s Day Convoy“For the past 30 years, Ephrata, Akron, Brownstown, and Lancaster not only welcomed us warmly, but provided police support, traffic control, and a tremendous spirit of goodwill. Despite the inevitable traffic delays, the members of these communities embraced the Convoy and made it a part of their Mother’s Day traditions.”
To accommodate the change, organizers said they expect to create several “official viewing stations” along the convoy’s new route. Make-A-Wish said these viewing stations will give the residents of Ephrata and other communities a place to park their cars, bring a lawn chair, and watch the convoy. The organization plans to have food, music, and games at those locations.
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David Hollis is the editor of Truckers News and can be reached at [email protected].
