For many wish families, the journey to a wish includes meaningful moments along the way. Sponsors like Covert Bee Cave help create those moments through joyful wish reveals, send offs, and celebrations that bring the entire community together.

In this episode of Because of a Wish, host Emily Franke, Chief Development Officer at Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas, sits down with Stacey Boyd, Community Relations Manager at Covert Bee Cave. Together they reflect on the power of partnership and the special role Covert plays in creating unforgettable wish experiences for wish kids and their families.

Enjoy learning about some of the incredible wish moments Covert has helped bring to life including classic car rides, miniature horses, snakes, Hawaii, and more. In this episode, listeners also meet wish kid Hunter, whose wish to go to Discovery cove and swim with dolphins is just around the corner.

Because of a Wish is a podcast from Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas that brings viewers into the heart of our wish community. Each episode features inspiring conversations with wish families, volunteers, medical partners, and supporters whose lives have been shaped by the power of a wish.

Through honest conversations and behind the scenes insights, Because of a Wish highlights the hope, strength, and joy that wishes create across Central and South Texas.

Transcript:

Emily Franke:
Welcome back to Because of a Wish. I am super excited about today's episode. I am Emily Franke, Chief Development Officer with Make A Wish Central and South Texas, and I am joined today by the presenting sponsor of our Wish Night, Stacey Boyd with Covert Bee Cave. Thank you for being a part of the podcast with us.

Stacey Boyd:
Absolutely. I am so thrilled to be here this morning. My name is Stacey Boyd. I am the Community Relations Manager here at Covert Bee Cave. I oversee all of our community events out here in Bee Cave, all of our sponsorships that we do with the community, as well as all of the dealership hosted events.

Emily Franke:
We really love getting to work with you, especially on all of the wishes that we get to partner on together.

Stacey Boyd:
I love sharing the Covert love with our community, especially with the Make A Wish community. It brings such a sense of hope and unity, not only to the Covert team, but to myself, our families, our staff members, and the children. The children are the most important to us.

Emily Franke:
The heart of relationships is so evident in the work that you do and the work that Covert does. You have been involved for a really long time as a partner with Make A Wish. How did that all start with Covert?

Stacey Boyd:
Covert Auto Group got involved with the Make A Wish Foundation back in 2007, and we have continued to support the Make A Wish Foundation ever since. We opened up Bee Cave out here in 2022, and that is when I really got involved along with Mike Ishak, our general manager, as well as Dan Covert.

We really kind of upped our game with the Make A Wish Foundation. We have been home to many wish reveals, and that is one of the funnest parts of our job out here, being able to have those children and families come out to the dealership.

Emily Franke:
Whenever we come out here for a wish reveal, a send off, or a wish day, you can feel the excitement and the joy with all of the team members. Everyone comes down. I mean, we had Oakley here. The photo of how many team members were there when we got to do her send off to Hawaii together was amazing.

Stacey Boyd:
Absolutely it is. Wish days bring so much energy around the dealership. Everybody is so excited to be part of these wish reveals for these children.

Just seeing the look on the staff members’ faces when the children come in and are surprised by all of the glamour that we put into it, the balloons, the cake, and the excitement. But even more than that, the look on the children's faces when they come in and see that their dream is coming true. Our staff members are just as excited to see that moment happen.

Emily Franke:
We have had horses, we have had snakes, we have had Hawaii, we have done Disney. But you all are about to do another wish with us next week for wish kid Hunter. Tell us a little bit about Hunter and what you all are planning.

Stacey Boyd:
I was so excited to hear about Hunter and his wish. His wish is to go to Florida and swim with the dolphins. How magical is that? Dolphins have such a sense of calmness, so we are really excited to have him come in.

Emily Franke:
Out of all of those wishes that we have done together over the years, is there one that really stands out to you?

Stacey Boyd:
All of our wishes stand out to me and hold a near and dear place in my heart. But the one that stands out the most is probably Nicholas.

Nicholas’s wish was to ride in a 1967 Corvette. You guys called me and asked if we could help make it happen. I jumped into full gear. We have a lot of partnerships out here at Covert Bee Cave, and one of our special partnerships is with a classic car club. It is a group of very sweet men who love their cars and love showing them off.

I made one call, and Doug said absolutely, we are going to make this happen. Within 24 hours we had that car.

Planning that reveal was a dream. Something so simple to us as riding in a car can be so grand and magical to a child. So we brought the Corvette out, and not only did our partners come through for us, they brought all of their classic cars. We ended up having a mini car show.

They took Nicholas on a ride through the Hill Country in the Corvette. It was so much fun for him. When they pulled back up, his face was beaming from ear to ear.

One question was asked: “How was it?”
And his answer was, “Bumpy.”

It was so cute and so much fun. Again, something that seems simple to you and me can mean the world to a child.

Emily Franke:
It was so cool when you heard the car start and he got in. It was even more special because it was his 16th birthday, the day he got to go.

And you all just go over the top every time. When we were doing the wish discovery and asked him why a 1967 Corvette, he said, “Because it looks cool.” That was the best answer.

What was really special about Nicholas’s wish is that you brought in the community. It was not just Covert. And that really shows how the impact of a wish is not just on the wish kid and their family. It affects the entire community that gets to be part of it.

Stacey Boyd:
Absolutely. I really try to reach out to the community when we have these wish reveals.

With Nicholas’s wish, we brought in all of the guys from the classic car club. They were so excited to be a part of it, and they still ask when we can do it again.

We had another wish where a child loved Ferraris and wanted to go to the Formula One track. So we brought in the Ferrari car club. That is bringing in people from the community who are excited to help.

Another wish was simply to ride a horse. That may seem simple to us, but it meant everything to her. She went to Colorado for her wish, and for the reveal party we reached out to the community to see if someone could bring a miniature horse.

Red Arena in Dripping Springs stepped up immediately. They brought out the sweetest little miniature horse. It was dressed up and standing right here on our pavilion porch. It was such a fun moment for the family, for our staff, and for the Make A Wish team.

Emily Franke:
We loved it.

Stacey Boyd:
It was so exciting. It really is all about reaching out to the community and getting people involved in the Make A Wish Foundation. It is very important to all of us.

Emily Franke:
And I think part of the wish journey that you all get to be involved in is so meaningful.

With Adelaide and the miniature horse, her wish was actually to ride a real horse because she has muscular dystrophy. Part of her therapy involves therapeutic horseback riding that helps strengthen her core. That is what inspired her wish.

Sometimes families may wait a year from when they are referred to when their wish happens. The joy along the way gives them something to look forward to and helps build hope and strength for our wish families.

What drove Covert Bee Cave to want to partner with Make A Wish and build so much employee engagement around the partnership?

Stacey Boyd:
It is all about unifying and coming together.

The Covert family loves giving back. The company has been in business since 1909. That is more than 117 years of serving and giving back to the community, and they continue that tradition today.

Our staff members are family to the Coverts. It is very important for us to involve them because they want to be involved.

With Oakley’s reveal, for example, we all wore Hawaiian clothing because she was going to Hawaii. Seeing all of our staff members dressed up and coming together to celebrate her was very meaningful, not only to the Covert family but to our entire team.

Emily Franke:
And I love that we always customize everything for each wish kid. There is always a cake involved. Shout out to HEB, because they do a great job every time.

Another fun thing is that when we slice the cake, we often share it with customers who are here as well. Having these wish reveals in the main lobby areas means customers get to be part of it. They get to see how the business they support is giving back to the community.

Stacey Boyd:
We always try to involve our customers on wish days. Many customers are seated in the waiting areas, and it piques their curiosity about what is going on.

We invite them to come be part of it, have a slice of cake, and meet the wish child. It really is about bringing everyone together.

Emily Franke:
Many of our kids are referred while they are still in the middle of their medical journey.

For Oakley, she had a heart transplant and spent a year in the hospital before her wish. When she finally came out here to Covert Bee Cave before her trip to Hawaii, she told us she never wanted to leave.

The joy you all create and the hope you provide before the wish even happens helps children get through treatment. It is really special.

Stacey Boyd:
Sometimes we forget how long these children are in the hospital or how long it takes before they can even travel.

When I say travel, I do not just mean long distance travel. It can simply mean traveling here for their wish celebration. Many of us do not realize the process families have to go through.

Anything we can do to provide hope and give them something to look forward to is what it is all about for us. It is about bringing hope not only to the wish child but also to their families.

Their families go through this as well. They are with them 24 hours a day through treatments and hospital stays. So anything we can do to bring hope to them is something we truly want to do.

Emily Franke:
Thank you to Stacey and Covert Bee Cave for everything you do to help us grant wishes. We could not do the work we do at Make A Wish Central and South Texas without your generosity and partnership in creating life changing wishes.

Stacey Boyd:
Thank you, Emily. We are so proud to be part of this.

We are proud to be part of the wish reveals and Wish Night that is coming up. This will be Covert’s third year as the presenting sponsor of Wish Night.

It is all about coming together for these kids and seeing the community unite through generosity. When you hear the stories that night, make sure you grab a tissue because it will bring tears to your eyes.

We are proud to continue this mission with the Make A Wish Foundation. We thank you for all that you do for the children, and we look forward to many more years to come.

Emily Franke:
We cannot wait to see everyone again on April 11 at our annual Wish Night Gala. We are so excited to help make joy possible for more of our wish kids and grant many wishes that night.

If you are listening or watching and have not secured your seat for Wish Night presented by Covert Bee Cave and chaired by Amy King, this is your sign.

Join us on April 11 at the Austin Marriott Downtown. Come experience the impact and help us grant more wishes.