SUN CITY – The Woodchucks are at it again. Community Projects leader Al La Pelusa in tandem with Wal-Mart truck driver Pete Palczynski are crafting smiles and hope into people’s lives through the Wal-Mart Heart program. The program has been around for about fifteen years, and the Woodchucks have been involved for about the past three years.
(Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
Palczynski explained the program as follows, “We make [the participants] an honorary truck driver. [They] get a Wal-Mart shirt … [and usually an] escort from the local police or fire department. We basically work with everybody from children to adults to veterans to people that live in retirement communities.”
Palczynski specializes in helping children afflicted with cancer. “My [focus] is specifically children because I have four [kids] of my own,” said Palczynski. “We don’t have a clue what these kids have to go through on a daily basis fighting cancer. [If, for] a few hours of my time [I can put] a smile on their face and make them forget about the pain and cancer … it’s worth it,” said Palczynski.
Palczynski worked with his first child back in 2008, and that child is now a greeter at the Wal-Mart in Naperville. Palczynski will visit with the young man when delivering groceries to that location.
“I usually work with one child a year so that I can keep in touch with them. You [come] to know their whole family and develop a friendship [with them],” said Palczynski.
Palczynski has lost one of the children that he helped with the program a couple of years ago. To commemorate those drivers and stores that participate in the program, Palczynski had been crafting honorary plaques. These plaques were a tough job for Palczynski because, as he stated, “I’m not too good with woodworking.”
The heart is inserted into this frame with guides so the holes for the pegs that hold the toy truck are inserted at the right angle. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
The first year that the Woodchucks got involved, they made about thirty hearts and donated them to the program. Since then, they have made about a hundred hearts. The Woodchucks have never had a problem finding people to create these hearts. They also make sure to craft the hearts out of walnut to attain a nice, rich color.
“If it wasn’t for the Woodchucks, I probably wouldn’t get very far [with making the plaques],” said Palczynski.
“He [Palczynski] will call us up and say, ‘I need X number of hearts,’ and we make them for him…. We don’t have a problem with this,” said La Pelusa. There is no foreseeable end to the Woodchucks participation in the Wal-Mart Heart program. In fact, La Pelusa said, “I don’t see a reason why we would ever stop helping [the program].”
