SPONSORED CONTENT
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
SPONSORED CONTENT
Trucks For Maddox
to Host 7th Annual
Charitable Golf
Outing
G
olfers from all over Western Pennsylvania will be
teeing off at Hickory Heights Golf Course in Bridgeville
on September 13 to support Trucks For Maddox, an
organization that collects new construction toys to be donated
to local children’s charities.
The organization is run by Elizabeth and Jason Derkosh,
parents of Maddox Derkosh, who was sadly lost in a tragic
accident at the Pittsburgh Zoo in 2012 at the age of 2½. The
family made a simple request in his obituary: “In lieu of flowers,
the family requests everyone bring a toy construction truck to
be donated to local children’s charities.”
This idea was based on Maddox’s love of construction vehicles
and his passion to share anything he had with his friends.
His parents felt it only fitting to give to others, in memory
of their son. The result was an unexpected, and incredibly
overwhelming, outpouring of support that eventually
transformed into Trucks For Maddox Charitable Trust, a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
The primary goal of Trucks For Maddox is to bring smiles to
disadvantaged children by gifting toy trucks through multiple
charities on an annual basis. The activities administered will
provide opportunities to continue to collect toys and secure
donations in support of this goal.
In 2012 alone, more than 4,500 toys were successfully
delivered to children throughout the Pittsburgh region. To
date, more than 16,000 toys have been distributed to children
in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
While the Trucks For Maddox golf outing is the annual
fundraising event, the Derkosh family remains hard at work all
year long by attending Touch-a-Truck events and maintaining
drop-off boxes where people can donate new toys to the
charity.
“The Touch-a-Truck events are a great place to raise
awareness and talk to people,” Jason says. “We get some
donations from them, but they’re more about starting a
conversation with people to promote the charity.”
“And that ties into the drop-off boxes because people learn
about the charity and sign up to have a drop-off box hosted
at their workplace and other locations,” Elizabeth adds. “We’re
extremely active around the holidays, but it’s a chance for us
to let people know that we’re still here and working hard on
this the rest of the year as well.”
The golf outing currently is accepting major sponsors
and golfers. Golfers may sign up as a foursome for $600, or
twosome for $300. It’s a shotgun start event followed by a
dinner, with an awards ceremony for first and second prize as
well as skill challenges, a silent auction and raffle.
To sign up for the event, inquire about hosting a drop-off
box or to make a donation, go to the website at
www.trucksformaddox.org. The organization accepts new
construction vehicles, trucks and transportation-related
themed toys for kids of all ages.
SOUTH FAYETTE
❘
SUMMER 2019
43