Being part of a community can help people feel less isolated and alone in life. Oliver Johnson of Hamilton, New Zealand is only 7 years old, but he sometimes feels left out and different from the other kids he knows. For one thing, he loves trucks more than toys, video games, or anything else other kids tend to like. Oliver spends a lot of time thinking about trucks, learning their names and capabilities, and dreaming of sitting behind the wheel of a big rig himself someday.
As Ollie’s birthday drew near, mom Katherine Johnson wanted to do something to make her son feel included in society, instead of feeling like he was on the outside looking in. She shared a simple post on Facebook asking if any truckers would give her son a ride in their rig for $50. She got a whole lot more than she bargained for!
“Ollie knows every single name of every single truck and every single truck company,” Katherine explained. “He gets the trucking magazine every month. All he wants to do is be a truck driver. He is just obsessed.”
She hoped just one trucker would see the post and respond. Instead, Barry Hart saw Katherine’s offer. Barry is the owner of Hart Haulage, so he owns a lot of trucks and knows a lot of “truckies.” The thought of a young truck enthusiast feeling left out and alone didn’t sit well with him, so he put out a call of his own.
Barry asked all the truck drivers he knew in the area to turn up for a truck rally in honor of Oliver’s birthday. Thirty-four drivers signed up right away, but on the big day, more than twice that number showed up!
Some of the truckies had driven more than 75 miles out of their way to be there for Oliver! Even Barry was blown away by the turn out, but he’s grateful his friends showed a lonely child what a supportive community feels like.
“I just saw that there was a kid who didn’t feel like he had friends and didn’t feel like he had a community around him,” said Barry. “I wanted to make sure that, and I would like to hope that every kid knows, that there is a community and people out there that will back them and stand beside them.”
“When it comes to kids, this community, these truckers will always come out,” Barry continued. “It’s a young fella and we wanted him to know there was a community around him.”