By: Maggie Griffin
On September 19th, 2010 - 468 Trucks convoying down Interstate 84 in Connecticut lead by Connecticut State Police and the Connecticut Motor Vehicle Commercial Division, with drivers driving with pride knowing they drove to make the Magic of a Wish come true to benefit the Connecticut Make a Wish Foundation.
Several trucking industries took part in this convoy. To add, Gil Simmons, Meteorologist from News Channel 8 drove the weather van in the convoy.
Following the Special Make a Wish Trucks, of which one of them had celebrity Christine Ohlman who we know as the Beehive Queen from Saturday Night Live’s Band.
However, on that day, September 19th, was not just the 11th annual Wishes on Wheels where President Keith Herzig and Vice President Roland Bolduc celebrated a successful goal with the committee that meets once a month year round to plan each year’s event; the smiles on over 200 Make a Wish Families that were there brought the meaning of the Magic of this event. Several people from several communities across Connecticut attended and many lined up along the interstate to watch the convoy.Prior to the convoy taking off, Kaitlynn Hatch , who sings the National Anthem for the event yearly, joined her beautiful voice with Christine Ohlman when singing the National Anthem. Following Herzig said “We have one more important announcement.” Ohlman takes the microphone and shouts out “Ladies and Gentleman – start your engines!” Christine Ohlman felt the Magic when she said “what a great event!! Thank you so much for involving me in the cause!”
Keith Herzig quotes “A Successful Event is Our Goal”. Herzig took pride in happiness when receiving the certificate of appreciation on behalf of The Wishes on Wheels Committee, a plaque thanking Wishes on Wheels from Kevin Sinclair, Chairman of The Board of Directors for Connecticut Make a Wish, presented to Herzig from Miss. Connecticut Brittany Decker.
What is the Magic of a Wish? It is wishes coming true for children with life threatening illnesses. One example that touches my heart is when Sinde Candella whose grandson has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy quoted an example when she told me “My grandson got a puppy Beagle from New Jersey from Make-a-Wish. We had a limo take us out to N.J. to pick Tee up! Short for T-Rex. A day I will never forget!”
This year’s theme was Country-Western. 
With farm animals there, horses, Animal Ed from Animal Adventures, Star Wars characters and “Thrasher” crushing those cars along with much more to do, the day was brightened with the smiles of everyone.
This year with about $70,000 raised from this year’s Wishes on Wheels to Benefit Connecticut’s Make a Wish Foundation, FedEx Ground handed a $10,000 donation to Mike Burke who is the CEO of Make a Wish.
When Keith Herzig said 11 years ago he wanted to make a difference for Make a Wish from his family to the Make a Wish Families, with Roland Bolduc by his side and the committee of Wishes on Wheels, they became the Fountain of Inspiration for thousands of families in Connecticut and beyond.
