NORTH DIGHTON, Mass. (September 17, 2019) – What child doesn’t enjoy playing with toy fire trucks, police cars, front end loaders and dump trucks? Families from North Dighton, Massachusetts and surrounding communities got to experience up close life-sized versions of these and other public safety and construction vehicles at the third annual “Touch-A-Truck Event” hosted by Manheim New England on Saturday, September 14.
This year’s event attracted more than 2,000 people. It featured vehicles from state and local police and fire departments, and heavy equipment and antique vehicles from G. Lopes Construction. Educational activities included how to escape from a burning building and how electrical power gets to a home. Kids also got to use a small fire hose to put out a pretend fire.
“Touch-A-Truck has snowballed over the past three years. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser in town,” said Maxine Mane, general manager of Manheim New England. In addition to hosting the event at its 250-acre wholesale auto auction in North Dighton, the company also provided employee volunteers and restroom facilities, and this year, made a $5,000 donation to the Dighton Firemen’s Association.
This year’s “Touch-A-Truck Event” raised funds for two young children born with congenital heart defects who are related to local firefighters. Taunton Firefighter Jon Silva’s two-year-old son was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Doctors have performed two surgeries to reroute his heart function, with a third surgery planned later this year. Taunton Firefighter Roberto Gonzalez’s eight-month-old nephew was diagnosed with Critical Aortic Stenosis within minutes of his birth. He’s undergone two open heart surgeries and will require future heart valve surgeries as he grows. Both children need extensive medical care that requires their families to travel to Boston Children’s Hospital for treatment.
“My department and I look forward to this community event every year. It’s awesome to see the smiles on the kids’ faces as they get to go in and out of the equipment,” said Dighton Fire Chief/EMD Christopher Maguy. “We appreciate having Manheim New England collaborate with us every year. Without their support, this event would not run as smoothly as it does.”
The annual “Touch-A-Truck Event” is but one example of Manheim New England’s 18-year partnership with North Dighton’s public service agencies. Other examples of the company’s community and civic involvements include:
Manheim New England also supports Make-A-Wish Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research, The American Red Cross, Homes for Our Troops and The Jimmy Fund.
About Manheim (www.manheim.com)
Manheim® is North America's leading provider of end-to-end wholesale solutions that help dealer and commercial clients increase profits in their used vehicle operations. Through its physical, mobile and digital sales network, Manheim offers services for inventory management, buying and selling, floor planning, logistics, assurance and reconditioning. With its omni-channel approach, Manheim Marketplace enables wholesale vehicle clients more efficient ways to connect and transact business how and when they want. Approximately 18,000 team members help Manheim offer 8 million used vehicles annually, facilitating transactions representing nearly $58 billion in value. Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim North America is a Cox Automotive™ brand. For more information, visit http://press.manheim.com.
