On August 19, nearly 200 trucks participated in a 32-mile convoy through Chambersburg raising more than $26,000 for Make-A-Wish® of Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
That amount is expected to increase because Franklin County Truck Convoy, the event’s host, will continue collecting money for Make-A-Wish until October 1.
Among those in the convoy was Cumberland Valley Tree Service – Landscaping’s own Evan Brumfield.
He drove one of our Altec Boom Trucks and showed off one of our brand-new Vermeer BC-1000 chippers. The truck’s boom arm extends 60-feet into the air, making its bucket an ideal place to raise an American flag and take a few aerial photos.
Brumfield has represented us in the convoy for several years, and he said that CVTS-L was the only tree service to participate in the event.
The event was held at the Twin Bridges Tractor Show Grounds, 1501 Criders Church Road, and also included a truck show that was judged by popular vote. The convoy, made up of 182 trucks, formed a loop that includes Rt. 30, 997 and Rt. 11 before returning to the show grounds where visitors enjoyed music, food, vendors, prizes and more.
Unfortunately, CVTS-L’s truck didn’t win the popular vote, but we are happy to have helped a good, local cause.
“It’s all local,” said Brumfield of the convoy, which has grown over the years. “All these trucks, all the money – everybody’s from this area. And it gets bigger every year.”
Make-A-Wish in Franklin County
The event was started about six years ago by Staci Hull, who has been a Make-A-Wish volunteer for more than a decade and now serves as co-president of the Franklin County Truck Convoy. As a Make-A-Wish volunteer, she is one of the people in Franklin County who meets with kids who are receiving wishes, helps them decide on their wish, and then guides families through the process.
It’s easy to see how support has sprung up around the event in a short period of time. In its first year, the convoy raised about $1500 – compared to the $26,000 and counting that it has raised so far this year.
Hull explained that the money is used locally in two primary ways.
One, is to fund wishes that come up the following year in the Franklin County area.
According to wish.org, the wishes generally fall into four categories: traveling (theme park, beach, seeing snow for the first time), becoming someone for a day (firefighter, police officer, model), meeting someone (athlete, recording artist, celebrity) or wish to have something (special gift, computer, shopping spree).
The second use might not be as well-known to people outside of the local wish community.
Hull explained: “We hold a Christmas party in December in Chambersburg at the Knights of Columbus, and we invite all the wish families that have ever gotten a wish through the Make-A-Wish foundation in Franklin County. It’s an opportunity for parents to see that they’re not alone in the battle, and it’s an opportunity for the kids to see that there are others out there just like them.”
For both the convoy and the Christmas party, the overwhelming majority of the space, expenses and services are donated by volunteers.
After they stop collecting donations for this year, the convoy team will have a short break before the board reconvenes on December 5 to begin planning next year’s event, which takes about 8 months.
“Everybody helps each other.”
For Brumfield, taking the truck out for an event like this is a natural extension of CVTS-L’s culture.
“CVTS-L is built upon a foundation of employees who contribute their skills and abilities to the company together – like a family,” he said. “It’s not a dog-eat-dog workplace. Everybody helps each other. It’s a pride thing.”
