North Little Rock Makes Wish Come True

A.J. receives a clue to his wish reveal during a tour of the NLR facility

On Friday, July 13, the North Little Rock facility (NLR) partnered with Make-A-Wish Mid-South to surprise A.J., a four-year old boy with a form of leukemia, with his wish to go to the Walt Disney World Resort and meet Spider-man. A.J., who lives in North Little Rock, AR, did not know he would be receiving his wish when he arrived at the Motor Grader facility.

A.J. arrived at NLR around noon and was greeted by Paul Rivera, NLR General Manager, who took A.J. and his family on a facility tour. Throughout the tour, Paul stopped at different teaming areas where A.J. would receive clues to his wish reveal. At the end of the tour, A.J. was led into NLR’s auditorium where he was surprised with a Disney and Spider-man themed party – and ultimately that his wish to go to Disney World and meet Spider-man would be granted.

“When I gave A.J. and his family a tour of the facility, every employee we passed waved, knew A.J.’s name, and welcomed him – that’s the teamwork that makes me proud to work at North Little Rock,” said Paul Rivera, General Manager. “Our employees know the importance of giving back. Last year, we had one of the highest United Way participation rates in Caterpillar at 75% and children like A.J. are a good reminder of the difference we can make in the upcoming campaign.”

A.J. honks the horn of a 16M Motor Grader

“It is such an honor to partner with companies like Caterpillar,” said Liz Nelson, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Mid-South. “One of our most favorite things about our workplace giving program is that the employees get to meet the wish child who is benefiting from their financial contributions – the employees actually get to see where their money is going and the amazing impact it has on the life of a critically ill child.”

NLR has a Community Team, comprised of eight employees from different departments, that coordinates fundraisers and volunteering events for local charities. After different Make-A-Wish fundraisers, including $5 Jeans Days and a dunk booth at NLR’s Family Day, and funds from the team’s yearly budget, the Community Team had raised enough to sponsor a child’s wish in December 2011.

“It shows we aren’t just a company, we’re also a community,” said Lorraine Williams, Assembler who has served two terms on the facility’s Community Team. “I’ve lived in the Little Rock area for 28 years and I’ve seen the need in the community. NLR holds volunteering events and other opportunities like A.J.’s wish reveal where we interact directly with those in need – we try to go beyond simply donating to a cause.”

Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 after a young boy with leukemia was granted his wish to become a police officer. Since then, Make-A-Wish has fulfilled over 220,000 wishes in the United States alone. Make-A-Wish Mid-South has celebrated 25 years of wish-granting since their founding 1986, and granted more than 4000 wishes to children in Arkansas, West Tennessee and North Mississippi.