Truckers and police bring holiday magic to Ohio children’s hospitals

Truck drivers, police officers, and first responders teamed up to bring holiday cheer to several children’s hospitals and state veteran’s homes in Ohio.

On December 23 and 24, police officers across Ohio organized nighttime convoys of hundreds of vehicles as part of “Operation Santa Sleigh 2020,” an event meant to celebrate the holidays and lift the spirits of hospital patients.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the event took place across the state and included children’s hospitals in Akron, Cleveland, Dayton, Toledo, Cincinnati, and Columbus as well as two veteran’s homes in Georgetown and Sandusky.

Oh what a sight! 100+ police vehicles in #OperationSantaSleigh! The cruisers left the UD area to start a ride that will take them through parts of Dayton, Moraine, Kettering, Centerville, etc. The huge procession will end up @DaytonChildrens for a holiday #GoodNightLights pic.twitter.com/NPjZAOUXPg

— Dayton Police Dept. (@DaytonPolice) December 24, 2020

Though the event was organized by police, truckers were able to get in on the festivities as well. Dayton-based Miller Specialized Transport said that they were asked to bring a couple of trucks to the event.

“When we asked our drivers for volunteers, every driver said yes, so we showed up with all the trucks. We are happy to be here with all the Police & Fire Departments along with tow companies from all over the state. There are hundreds of vehicles here, we hope the kids enjoyed it,” the company said.