There is a feeling Carl Ellerman gets when he's rumbling down Route 222 in his cherry-red 1972 Kenworth rig, windows down, the music of a well-oiled Cummins 350 Big Cam filling the cabin, where a sepia-toned picture of his late wife hangs.

It's not nostalgia.

It's the feeling of knowing he's making a dream come true for the kid sitting next to him in the passenger seat year after year. On this Sunday she was a 14-year-old girl named April Sinclair who was diagnosed, in utero, with cystic fibrosis.

"I love children, and I respect sick children," said Ellerman, a 79-year-old retired truck driver from Landisburg, Perry County. "I'm a sentimental old fart."

His rig led the caravan of 348 trucks in Sunday's 21st Mother's Day Truck Convoy, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia & Susquehanna Valley's major annual fundraiser. Riding on those trucks were some 100 "wish kids," children who have life-threatening medical conditions.

The convoy took them on a 27-mile loop up Routes 222 and 272 through Akron and into Ephrata. Along the route, supporters gave money to the Make-A-Wish "clown brigade."

The convoy, stretching along 20 miles of highway, returned to Lancaster about an hour and 45 minutes later.

The event is believed to have raised about $300,000, money that will be used to grant wishes over the next year. "We truly appreciate what the community does for us," convoy chairman Randy Etzweiler said. "We owe them a big 'Thank you.'"

Ellerman alone raised more than $20,000, up from the $18,541 he generated for the cause in 2009.

His passenger's wish?

"I want to go to California to meet the cast of 'NCIS'," Sinclair said.

The girl, who lives in Chambersburg, specifically wants to say hi to heartthrob Michael Weatherly, who plays Special Agent Tony DiNozzo on the television drama series. Sinclair's dream has been granted; it's just a matter of time before she's flown out to meet the stars.

Etzweiler said the local Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter has granted more than 4,000 wishes over the years. The average wish costs about $7,000, meaning a single convoy will be able to grant wishes for about 43 children.

"The majority of the wishes are children who would like to go to Disney World. We've also had Disney cruises. Some are as simple as a swing set. Computers. A shopping spree," Etzweiler said.

Across the expansive parking lot at Burle Business Park on New Holland Avenue, where the convoy began and ended, truck drivers described the event as a tradition they wouldn't miss for the world.

Among them was Kevin Starner, a 32-year-old truck driver from Manheim. This year's convoy was an emotional one for him because he was taking the wheel for a friend, 39-year-old David Espenshade, who was unable to drive for the first time in years because he is battling cancer. "It is an intense feeling for me," Starner said. "I'm trying to take it all in. I understand what this is all about. I'm hooked. I'm going to keep coming back and raising money."

The event attracted several hundred people to the business park. They paused to remember some 165 "Wish Angels," the Make-A-Wish children who have died over the years. Among the deceased are Elaina and Harley Wagner, who had cerebral palsy and died at young ages.

Their grandfather, 57-year-old Keith Wagner of Little Britain, has been driving truck for 30 years and has taken part in the convoy for the past several. This year, his passenger was his own granddaughter, 11-year-old Karolyn, who has a form of autism and an unknown genetic disorder.

Her wish has been granted: The girl got a handicapped-accessible playground assembled in her front yard, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "She loves it. It's all fenced in and safe," said her mother, Marsha Wagner, 34, of Little Britain.

It is difficult to overstate the sentiments felt by parents and truck drivers who take part in the convoy. Asked how it felt to see so many supporters lining the streets, cheering and waving to the truckers, the girl's grandfather choked up a bit.

"Very emotional," he said.

tmurse@lnpnews.com