Road to Wishes exceeds goal
Raney’s first ever truck show fundraiser brought in more than $90,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Tara and Brian Kohl of Lake City pose with their R.D.H. Trucking autism-themed 2024 Kenworth T680 semi-tractor trailer during the Road to Wishes Truck Show at Raney’s in Ocala, Fla. on Saturday, May 31, 2025. The truck show was held as a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.
People sure do love big trucks, especially “tricked out” ones.
A big crowd turned out to see the big rigs at the inaugural Raney’s Road to Wishes truck show fundraiser on May 31, which had a goal of raising $80,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Not only did the organizers run out of giveaway bags less than halfway through the show, the net proceeds topped more than $90,000.
Raney’s Truck Parts, a provider of aftermarket parts and accessories for the heavy-duty trucking industry, hosted the show at its Raney’s Chrome Shop on West Silver Springs Boulevard.
“It was a blast! We had 48 registered show trucks and several other specialty vehicles and non-registered show trucks as well that pushed us over 50. We had over 500 visitors, maybe closer to double that. We had 500 giveaway bags and ran out by 1 p.m., with the show continuing until 6 p.m.,” said Raney’s CEO Joel Raney.
“The show was a huge success, and we were blown away by how much support we received to make this happen. Our parking lots were consistently full throughout the entire event of people coming to see the amazing trucks, enjoy the kids’ activities and delicious food and most important of all support Make-A-Wish. We exceeded our goal of raising $80,000 and we are looking forward to making this an annual event,” he added.
Raney shared in a prior “Gazette” article that he was already a “huge believer in Make-A-Wish but that was strengthened even more when a young ‘Wish Kid’ and her family inadvertently helped me meet my future wife at an airport in 2011. There was a little girl, who was a Wish Kid, singing and dancing at our gate while we were all waiting to board a flight to Orlando and that became the conversation starter between my wife, who was a complete stranger at the time, and myself. Seeing these kids able to forget their troubles and just enjoy the moments that Make-A-Wish gives them is really powerful,” he said.
One of the highlights of the truck show was the competition to be the best in a series of categories. The winners were:
• Kids Choice Award Winner – “Danger” built by A&A Stainless
• Kids Choice Runner Up – “Chosen One” by Eva Knelsen with West Coast Transportation
• Lights Out – “Wild Child” by Clifton Parsley with CTS Towing
• Super Shine – “Haulin’ Ass” by Ryan John Wichtner with 525 Transport
• Best Interior – “Danger” built by A&A Stainless
• Best Theme – “One of Many,” driven by Joy and Colby Woodward with Michael A. Manual Trucking
Sara Desmartin, the development and community outreach manager for North Central Florida Make-A-Wish, was in Ocala for the event.
“Being at the Raney’s Road to Wishes event and experiencing the generosity of the Ocala community firsthand was truly special. Events like this make it possible for us to bring life-changing hope and joy to children facing critical illnesses right here in North Central Florida. Huge thanks to Joel Raney and his team for creating and hosting such a fun, high-energy event in support of Make-A-Wish. We’re so grateful for everyone who made the day such a success,” she said.
To learn more and make donations, visit raneystruckparts.com/road-to-wishes and raneys.online/wish
For additional information about Make-A-Wish, contact Desmartin at [email protected] or (352) 328-3633 and at cnfl.wish.org
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