The Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley Mother's Day Truck Convoy will roll through town on Sunday, May 9. This year's 100-truck convoy will leave from the Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction at 1:30 p.m. and will run a route from Manheim through Mount Joy.

"The auto auction will not be open to the public, and we won't be having the carnival we usually have, but there are still several ways for people to participate," said Terry Finch, co-chair of the convoy committee. "We'll have a livestream on our chapter's Facebook page, and we'll post everything also on http://www.wishcovoy.org. We are also going to have a drive-through chicken dinner pickup at Country Table Restaurant in Mount Joy, which is right along the route." Preorders are being taken at the event website.

The public is also invited to participate in an online auction that will run from Saturday, May 1, through Monday, May 10, at http://www.wishconvoy.org. "We have a lot of 'experiences' packages, plus gift cards to restaurants, playground equipment, trips, just a lot of fun stuff to bid on," Finch said. "Some of the Wish children create items like birdhouses or pictures or sculptures, and those always do really well."

People are invited to cheer the convoy along the route, which can be found at https://tinyurl.com/u8ddcvrw. "There's great viewing at LCBC Manheim campus, where they have a huge parking lot," Finch recommended. "There's also options to watch at the Country Table and along Main Street in Mount Joy."

The convoy committee is working on ways to include Wish children in the convoy. "Because our Wish children can't be in public right now, we're working on getting Wish kids on video chat to talk to the drivers," Finch explained. "Some of them have been riding with the same driver for years, and they really feel a connection."

This is the second time the event will begin at the Manheim Auto Auction. Last year's event was a scaled-down convoy of 30 drivers. "We are thrilled to be partnering with the Mother's Day Make-A-Wish Truck Convoy for our second year," said Joey Hughes, vice president/general manager of the Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction. "The Mother's Day Make-A-Wish Truck Convoy is such an important fundraising event, and our team at Manheim Pennsylvania Auto Auction is so honored to host it at our location."

Money raised by the convoy helps to grant wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. "The convoy and the events occurring with it help fund 75% of the wishes in the Susquehanna Valley," Finch noted, adding that the event committee has a goal of raising $300,000. "In addition to coming out on the day of the event, you can visit wishconvoy.org to see all of our drivers who are fundraising and to donate to any driver you'd like to."