Local charity fulfills 4-year-old’s wish as it works to grant wishes for over 150 children this summer
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ASHLAND, MA (July 10, 2024) – There was a new WM recruit on the ground in Ashland, MA, early last Wednesday morning, confident in his bright yellow safety vest as he rolled bins over to his WM truck in his hometown. Four-year-old Alan was hard at work as his wish to be a garbage truck driver was granted by Make-A-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island in collaboration with WM, as the local charity works to grant over 150 wishes this summer.
While some children are drawn to superheroes and other special characters, Alan has a different take on things: he is fascinated by the WM crew members who move through his neighborhood each week operating waste and recycling trucks. He’s even dressed up as a crew member for Halloween.
Alan, who has cystic fibrosis (CF), has not had a typical childhood. While CF is known primarily for its respiratory impacts, Alan’s has caused particularly severe digestive symptoms. He was in the NICU for several weeks as an infant due to an intestinal blockage and has had two surgeries and other procedures. He has to take several pills before every meal on top of daily vest and nebulizer therapies. Alongside him through it all is his brother Theo, 7, who also has CF and will receive a wish from Make-A-Wish in the future.
Bright and early on Wednesday morning, Alan’s wish day started with him at the center of WM’s pre-trip driver huddle with the crew in West Boylston, who gave Alan and his family a warm welcome as they arrived at the facilities. He and Theo were given real timecards to clock in for their shift and presented with official WM gear before watching a safety video. Then it was time to power up with a donut break before heading out to Alan’s WM truck, where Alan climbed into his car seat. With his father, Luke, seated next to him, Alan rolled out with WM driver Richard Birch of Thompson, CT, at the wheel, to the celebratory sendoff honks of the other WM vehicles ready to head out for the day.
Ashland Police and Ashland Fire provided a lighted escort for Alan for his drive to Ashland, where he got to work helping out on a special route WM designed for him on Carriage House Path.
“There’s trash cans everywhere!” observed Alan as he and Birch talked shop. Alan was excited to learn his truck was a brand-new vehicle and that he and Birch were the first to use it. He soon became a pro at maneuvering bins from the curb to the truck, and carefully using the truck’s levers to pick up the bins and control the compactor.
At the conclusion of his route, Alan’s truck headed to Henry E. Warren Elementary School, where a crowd awaited him. The cheers and personalized signs came from community members including family friends, members of the Ashland High School Make-A-Wish Club, Make-A-Wish volunteers and staff, representatives from Ashland Police and Ashland Fire, and faculty and students from the elementary school and William Pittaway Preschool.
“Coming around the corner to see how many people were here, that moment will definitely stick in my mind,” said Alan’s mother, Lola. “This has been amazing, just to take a day to not think about anything else and just celebrate Alan,” she told the crowd. “It’s been tough, our medical journey, and what Alan and Theo deal with having cystic fibrosis. We want to thank the Make-A-Wish team, the WM team, and everyone else who made today possible, as well as the boys’ care team at Boston Children’s Hospital.”
After the celebration, Alan and his family headed to Ashland Ale House, Alan’s favorite restaurant, where they were treated to a special lunch by the Ale House staff.
Alan will no doubt continue his WM work; the WM team presented him and Theo with duffel bags full of gear so they can keep practicing their new skills, and Officer David Muri and the Ashland Police Association gifted Alan a ride-on waste truck.
“WM is honored to have Alan and his family share this exciting wish day with us and thankful to Make-A-Wish for allowing WM to collaborate,” said Chris Lucarelle, WM Area Vice President. “To know a child could wish for anything and he choose to be a WM driver for the day is very special and has had such a positive impact on our team at WM.”
“Behind the scenes, Alan’s wish took months of careful planning by WM employees, including safety considerations and creating a special route to be flexible to Alan’s choices on his wish day,” said Sean Holleran, CEO of Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island. “The WM team was so thoughtful about every detail, and we are incredibly grateful for the creativity, time, and genuine care that they poured into making Alan’s wish just right for him. And combine that with everyone who showed up in full force for Alan—what a testament to the ripple effect of a wish to inspire and uplift not just a wish child and their family, but the community, too.”
Ashland Public Schools Resource Officer and Ashland Police Association President Dave Muri shared, “The Ashland Police Association is happy to have played a part in making Alan’s wish day so special and memorable.”
The Ashland High School Make-A-Wish Club, whose student members have been raising awareness and fundraising for Make-A-Wish since 2013, added extra spirt to Alan’s wish celebration. “On behalf of the club, we are so grateful to have participated in Alan’s wish,” said the club’s Student Vice President Yash Pawnarkar. “Seeing his happiness reminds us why we do what we do—to bring joy and make dreams come true for children like Alan.”
To learn more about Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island and the many ways businesses, organizations, and individuals can support the organization as it works to fulfill the wishes of over 150 local children with critical illnesses this summer, visit www.massri.wish.org/together.
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About Make-A-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Make-A-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. A wish can be a spark that helps a child believe anything is possible. In the face of life-threatening medical conditions, wishes enable children to experience profound joy, renewed strength and resiliency, and lasting hope to keep striving and dreaming for the future. Together with generous supporters and 500+ volunteers, the organization has granted the wishes of over 10,000 children in Massachusetts and Rhode Island since its founding 40 years ago, and its vision is to grant the wish of every medically eligible child. For more information, visit www.massri.wish.org.
About WM
WM (WM.com) is North America's leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions. Previously known as Waste Management and based in Houston, Texas, WM is driven by commitments to put people first and achieve success with integrity. The company, through its subsidiaries, provides collection, recycling and disposal services to millions of residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. With innovative infrastructure and capabilities in recycling, organics and renewable energy, WM provides environmental solutions to and collaborates with its customers in helping them achieve their sustainability goals. WM has the largest disposal network and collection fleet in North America, is the largest recycler of post-consumer materials and is the leader in beneficial use of landfill gas, with a growing network of renewable natural gas plants and the most landfill gas-to-electricity plants in North America. WM's fleet includes more than 12,000 natural gas trucks – the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet of its kind in North America. To learn more about WM and the company's sustainability progress and solutions, visit Sustainability.WM.com.
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