This Is My Favorite Wish

This is my favorite wish… It seems every time I begin to tell a wish story I start that way. The best part of that statement is – it’s accurate.

At Make-A-Wish^® Southern Florida, our favorite story is how we make wishes come true. It’s a tag team effort and at the end of it all we revel in the stories and pictures that remind us of why we do what we do.

Well, this is my favorite wish story.. Darn, there I go again! Eddie’s wish was to give back. Specifically, he wanted to visit an orphanage in Africa and deliver school supplies. We found a church group that happened to be going on a missionary to an orphanage in Africa. Did you say how perfect! It gets better. The planning began, arrangements were made and the family met the missionaries. They sent us a note, before the wish even began, telling us that they’d found a new family in the church. That alone was a wish come true.

Eddie joined the mission and went to Africa with suitcases full of supplies for the kids. They played games, danced, told stories and prayed together. There was one special little boy who wouldn’t leave Eddie’s side. He asked Eddie if he would take him back to America. What they learned was that this little boy had never opened up to anyone before. For some reason he opened up to Eddie and wanted to stay with him. A bond was formed. Eddie has been to our office twice. He glows as he tells the stories of his wish experience.

Yes, let me tell you about my favorite wish, a very special, magical experience that goes on and on. But then, that could be so many of our wishes come to think of it! It’s what we do at Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, we always have a favorite wish story to tell. Just ask.

Karen Mullins
Vice President of Mission Delivery
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida

Siani Wished to Go to the Bahamas

With a love of warm weather and blue waters, 5-year-old Siani immediately told her wish granters of her wish to go to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas to play in the gigantic water park and meet some dolphins. She and her family gladly left their North Lauderdale home and spent their days in the tropical paradise enjoying the water and seeing the underwater  creatures. Siani’s mother was so delighted to see the excitement in her joyful daughter’s face. When she wasn’t seen riding water slides or swimming at the water park, she was looking at all the colorful creatures in the aquarium and even found herself up close to a fever of stingrays. Throughout her entire trip, Siani could not stop raving about the fantastic time she had making a dolphin friend!

Wish Granters: William Burke & Cynthia Frank
Referred by: Bernadette Brunetti, her social worker
Wish adopted by: Mr. Robert Lisy

Staff Spotlight: Ginny Tobin

The first face people see walking into the Make-A-Wish Southern Florida chapter office is Ginny Tobin. An administrative assistant, she sets the mood for the office.  Ginny feels her job is very exciting because she never knows who is going to walk through the door.  She finds herself hoping it’s either someone with a lot of money or a wish child.

Working with almost everyone in the office, Ginny keeps busy. Aside from daily morning deposits and  delivering the afternoon mail, she is always doing different things.  Some co-workers joke that she is the “Dr. Phil of the office.”

Ginny, a Make-A-Wish employee for six years, said she first became involved with the organization through her sister Joan Fenwick, who is one of the chapter’s founders. “I never really knew much about the foundation,” she said. “It really hit home when I came to Florida and began volunteering. I guess you can say Make-A-Wish runs in my blood and I had no idea until six years ago.”

One of her favorite memories is when the chapter received a large check from a donor. “At first, I thought it was for $50,000 instead of $500,000,” she said. “When I realized the amount I was so excited. I was running and screaming through the office.”

Good times in the office help create Ginny’s ideal workspace. She said there are so many favorite parts about her job, meeting wish children and giving tours just to name a few.  “I get to interact with everyone, this is my life,” she said.

Alexia Marchetti

Gianni Wished to Go to Walt Disney World®

Five-year-old Gianni had her heart set on becoming a princess after hearing about the magic and beauty of her favorite fairy tales. Upon the arrival of her wish day, Gianni was whisked away to Walt Disney World^® where she was taken to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Placed in the caring hands of her Fairy Godmother-in-training, Gianni’s wish came true as she was given the royal treatment and transformed into a princess from head to toe.

The entire trip was both an incredible and truly magical experience for Gianni as she saw her wish being fulfilled. She and her family ventured to the theme parks including the Magic Kingdom^® where they enjoyed watching the parades and getting a special audience with the characters. Gianni also had lunch with her Disney princess friends who not only took pictures with her but presented her with a book of autographs. Gianni took so many pictures with each Disney character that she had to get a second scrapbook!

During their stay, she and her family made themselves at home at Give Kids The World Village where Gianni indulged in all-you-can-eat ice cream, tasting every flavor. With her family beside her and the theme parks that lay ahead of her, each day was a chance for a brand new fairy tale for Princess Gianni.

Wish Granters: Alina Shaw & Mary Thomas
Referred by: Dr. Melissa Singer, her physician
Wish adopted by: Palm Beach Sailfish Classic

Wish Granting Is Fun

In the late 80s, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted a wish for my younger brother’s friend who had leukemia.  The foundation’s beautiful gesture and the happiness it brought to their entire family stuck with me all those years.  In early 2006, I sat at my computer and browsed the web to see if Make-A-Wish offered volunteer opportunities. I was pleasantly surprised to find a list of upcoming information sessions.

Seven years and almost twenty wishes later…wish-granting is a part of my life.  We all have dreams, even in adulthood.  Wish-granting is a time when I can dream with the children and families I meet.  Before visiting a family, I get so excited just imagining what the next child will wish for.  When we play the wish game—it’s so much fun—I love to see smiles with missing front teeth, heads nodding “yes” and bright happy eyes.  Parents whose children have their wishes granted are always grateful.  Interacting with them is a blessing.

When I became a volunteer, my intention was to bring happiness to children and their families.  What I didn’t know is that granting wishes would bring me just as much happiness and that it would also help me grow.  I’ve learned to be more compassionate and sensitive to the human condition.  We get to meet families from all backgrounds and I practice my language and communication skills. We work with partners to implement wishes and this develops teamwork skills.  We learn to be creative. Bedroom make-overs are the most fun.  My favorite was the teen who, from her hospital room laptop, showed us the furniture and color scheme she wanted—pink and lime-green polka dots!  Being a volunteer brings me joy and I look forward to granting many more wishes!

Priscilla Ferreira

Max Wished to Go to New York City

Last summer, I was blessed with a wish. Not just any wish, but one from Make-A-Wish. My wish meant so much to me, and it was a very special wish indeed. I got to do things that I’ve always wanted to do such as fly in an airplane and travel outside of my home state of Florida. My wish was to go to New York City, a place that I’ve always wanted to visit. I enjoyed that trip so much and I’ll never forget it.

My family was able to do everything that was arranged for us. The day that we arrived was the day where we had time to ourselves. After checking into our hotel and having dinner there, we went to see the wax museum, Madame Tussaud’s, which was really amazing because of all the wax figures it had. They looked so real. I felt like I was standing next to all these famous people.

The following days were even more exciting. We saw the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 memorial, Museum of Natural History, the Central Park Zoo, attended a Yankees game as well as the show “Wicked” on Broadway. I enjoyed this show very much. It was funny, the stage set up was thrilling and I loved the music and special effects. We even went to Times Square, rode the subways and rode a horse carriage in Central Park. The Statue of Liberty was what I was most excited to see. The statue was more thrilling to look at in person than in pictures. Seeing her made me thik about the time she was built and brought to America from France. I also appreciate how she’s a symbol of American freedom.

The trip was a huge blessing for us. My wish allowed me to spend time with my family while having fun. This meant so much to me. I also hope that you can continue to bless families of children with medical conditions by giving them wishes like mine.

Yours Truly,
Maximilian

Wish Granters: Dayana Leon & Allana Robinson
Referred by: Fatima Petrin, his mother
Wish adopted by: Mr. Chris Bosh

My Commitment to Make-A-Wish

My commitment to Make-A-Wish started when I moved to Florida  and, even though my sister was a part of this foundation for a very long time, I really had no idea what it was all about. I knew she was passionate about her job and I witnessed this firsthand when I saw how she couldn’t stay away even though she was very sick at the time.  I started volunteering and I began to see what this commitment was all about.

The atmosphere was electric and the emotions one feels is like nowhere else.  I love my job and it has become the most important thing in my life today (except for my two furry girls). I look forward to coming here every day and cherish the times that wish kids come through our doors so I can interact with them and make them feel as if they are special and part of our family. I can’t imagine leaving here and what my life would be like.

Each day is something special and I get to feel special just by being part of the whole thing. It never ceases to amaze me that these children have such courage and bravery. This fact alone stops me in my tracks when I start thinking “woe is me” about some trivial thing in my life. To be connected to these children and their families is an honor and a privilege – one that I take very seriously.  I am so very proud to be a part of this foundation and I feel that in some small way I am honoring my sister’s passion also.

Ginny Tobin,
Make-A-Wish Administrative Assistant

Shanice Wished to Be a Model

Shanice is a typical teenager with a little extra pizzazz. She is an absolute fashion diva who loves to wear skinny jeans and high heels and knows all about different fashion designers. Already having several modeling trophies under her style belt, Shanice’s wish was to be a model like her idol Tyra Banks.

 Her dream came true when she was tapped to be a Covergirl at a full-on NYC “model” weekend along with 3 other wish children with the same wish. At MILK Studios, she was treated to a huge selection of designer dresses, shoes and jewelry to choose from for her big moment. To complete her head-to-toe glamorization, Shanice enjoyed a Covergirl makeover and a gorgeous new hair style, professionally done under the guidance of celebrity stylist and National Fashion Wish Ambassador Mary Alice Stephenson.

 Then it was time to step in front of the camera for a studio session with famed photographer Don Flood. Shanice’s modeling instincts kicked in as her mega-watt smile lit up the set. She twirled and posed in true model fashion. 

 The VIP treatment continued for Shanice when she was told that she could keep many of the outfits that she tried on – including the gorgeous gold sequined dress from the shoot. Of her fulfilled wish to be a Covergirl, she said, “The whole experience was out of this world phenomenal.”

Wish Granters: Laura Delucca & Amy Sedlacek
Referred by: Laura Nicholas-Warner, her mother
Wish adopted by: Mr. James L. Ferraro, The Ferraro Law Firm

Our Values at Make-A-Wish: EXCELLENCE

As Walt Disney World® was being constructed in the early 1970s, Walt Disney encouraged his people to think bigger and bolder and strive for excellence.  They didn’t look at the completion of the theme park as the end of a journey, however.  Walt coined the phrase “Excellence is never finished”.  Symbolized by the hopes and dreams of our wish children, we at Make-A-Wish always think and dream big.  We admire the same traits in corporate giants such as Google, Starbucks, and the Walt Disney Company.

Striving for excellence and not resting on our success are in our organization’s DNA.  We grant a wish every 16 hours and we are constantly educating those who refer children to us so we can grant more.  Once a child is referred to us and qualifies, we work hard to grant each wish in a first-class manner, partnering with community groups and corporate partners to turn a simple wish into a magical experience.  We look at every single detail in our special events and ask “how can we make this better?”

We’re happy that we’re able to change lives – the lives of our wish children, their families, extended families, volunteers, donors and everyone who is impacted by a wish come true.  Happy but not satisfied.  And it’s that passion for excellence that keeps us going, keeps us moving and helps us make a significant impact on our community.

Richard Kelly, along with Meagan Malo and Renee Shore
Make-A-Wish staff members

 

Angel Wished to Have an Electronics Shopping Spree

After seeing all the kids walking around with their own handheld Nintendo DS, 4-year-old Angel would tell his mother how he would like one of his own. Whenever he would go in for treatments, Angel loves entertaining himself by playing on the computer, so an electronics shopping spree seemed like the perfect wish. He walked out of Best Buy that day with everything he had wanted: a laptop, a Wii, his own Nintendo DS and more games than he could ever imagine! He and his family ended the perfect day with dinner at Monty’s but Angel’s mother said that her son couldn’t wait to get home and open all of his gifts and still reminisces on his wonderful experience! His mother said, “The best part of my day is seeing him happy. That is my greatest joy as a parent.”

Wish Granters: Mark & Claudia Hurwitz
Referred by: Lucia Rojas, his social worker
Wish adopted by: Mr. Michael Ortega, Ortega Construction Company