Touch-A-Truck helps grant wish of 5-year-old

By Jamie Biesiada

The totals are in, and the Wall Recreation Department’s Touch-A-Truck event in April raised nearly $3,500 to help grant the wish of a 5-year-old girl.

“The Make-A-Wish Foundation came to our Touch-A-Truck event to collect donations to grant a wish for a child who has an illness,” Recreation Director Edward Grill said.

The event was held on April 30 on the grounds of the Municipal Complex, drawing a crowd of hundreds — many of whom donated to the foundation. Overall, $3,476 was raised, according to a letter sent to the recreation department from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey last week.

“On behalf of our families and most importantly, the wish children, I would like to thank you for organizing Wall Township’s Touch-A-Truck Day,” reads the letter written by Director of External Events Kristina Maglietta.

The funds from Touch-A-Truck went toward granting the wish of 5-year-old Brooke, who was diagnosed with Diffuse Cutaneous Mastocytosis, a skin disorder, according to the letter.

“She loves to play soccer and basketball, listen to Hannah Montana and watch Barney and wrestling,” according to the letter.

Brooke’s wish was to meet wrestler John Cena and view a wrestling match in person, which was granted when she and her family were taken to Connecticut. They stayed in Stratford, saw a wrestling match and visited the Norwalk Aquarium, according to the letter.

“Thank you so much for your support and I hope we can work together again next year,” Ms. Maglietta hand-wrote at the end of the letter.

“There is nothing more gratifying than doing something like that,” Mr. Grill said. “They are already on board for next year’s Touch-A-Truck, and we’re going to get them involved with any future events.”

He added that the Make-A-Wish Foundation is the “number-one foundation to work with,” and said he looks forward to helping grant more wishes for children in the future.

For more information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit its website, wish.org.