A Heartland RV Prowler Lynx decorated with multi-colored balloons and streamers was ready to party last week at the Lazydays RV store in Loveland, Colorado.
Thirteen-year-old Adhalia was the guest of honor. She was the most recent recipient of a partnership between Make-A-Wish Colorado and dealership General Manager Matthew Urland.
Adhalia, who suffers from a blood disorder, was the star of the day. Make-A-Wish Colorado Senior Manager of Strategic Communications Sarah Murphy said Urland deserved credit for shining a spotlight on the girl.
“We have worked with Matthew for years, and he is an incredible supporter of Make-A-Wish Colorado,” Murphy said. “He goes above and beyond to provide personalized experiences for each wish kid he works with.”
Urland said he has worked with 119 Make-a-Wish recipients now. Adhalia and her mom drove off the lot in their new bunk house model. The bunks were important to Adhalia, who needed space for her dog, Coco-Butter-Bean, to sleep.
Urland’s Make-A-Wish Colorado partnership began about five years ago. He has granted wishes with three Colorado dealerships: Camping World, Blue Compass RV and now Lazydays RV.
Urland said he got involved after a friend’s child had their wish canceled because of the pandemic.
“At first, I was upset,” Urland said. “I called Make-A-Wish to air my grievances, but then I started talking to them about what they spend to send a whole family on a vacation. It is a lot. That gave me the idea to create an event at my store. I could save Make-A-Wish some money and put together a travel trailer that those families would have and could use over and over again.”
Urland has developed a Make-A-Wish program blueprint, which he said he is happy to share with any RV dealer. He posts the celebrations on social media to drive Make-A-Wish awareness, but also to spur dealership interest.
Dealers interested in more information can email him at [email protected].
“A lot of these families are on different online forums and chats together, and they have seen the camper wishes,” Urland said. “Because of that, the camper wishes have not stopped. There is also still a big demand.”
Urland usually provides a generator with the RV to accommodate childrens’ medical needs. He will set the family up with camping gear, bike racks and more, depending on each family’s needs and desires.
He sets the RVs up so a family can drive to a campground and use it. His service technicians make sure the families know how to operate the trailer’s features and provide driving instructions, if necessary.
“It is worth all of the work,” Urland said. “The kids light up when we walk them back to the trailer. We had 65 of our staff members standing around the RV on Tuesday, just clapping and raising the excitement level as the family walked up to the trailer. I cannot change what these kids are going through, but I work hard to give them the best moment I possibly can.”
Urland said working at Lazydays RV of Loveland enables him to make the deliveries bigger and brighter because of the dealership’s indoor showroom. The showroom was among the reasons he applied to work at the store.
“We have the largest indoor showroom in the country, with 65 units inside,” he said. “I liked the idea of being able to do the wishes in the showroom. At other dealerships, we did them outside. In the winter, we had to do them in the service area. That just is not the best environment for the families.”
As for Adhalia, Urland said she was excited to see her new home away from home.
“She has been in the hospital every five to six weeks for the last four years,” he said. “She is so excited to go camping and to take her dog with her. I think that Mom was a little overwhelmed. I think we probably exceeded her expectations. I am just so thankful for the opportunity I have to do something for these families.”
