WishMakers Wanted Campaign Helps to Grant More Wishes to Kids
HOUSTON, TX (April 29, 2024) – Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana is excited to announce today, April 29, 2024, is World Wish Day. World Wish Day is an annual Make-A-Wish event that commemorates more than 40 years of granting
life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. This past month, which was also World Wish Month, “WishMakers” across our community helped bring to life the impact of a wish to eligible children in our own backyard.
life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. This past month, which was also World Wish Month, “WishMakers” across our community helped bring to life the impact of a wish to eligible children in our own backyard.
WishMaker sponsor, NOV, helped kick-off World Wish Month with a welcome home celebration for Wish kid Ander, 17, cancer, who just returned from his trip to Alaska.
At Ander’s welcome home celebration, Ander’s dad shared, “We had an absolute blast on this trip, it’s something we will never forget. More than that, this whole experience of him getting diagnosed and treatment…it’s a hard process. But now when we think back about this process, one of the things that we think about first is this trip, and that recontextualizes the whole experience. It’s incredible what they have done for us. I can’t say thank you enough.”
NOV used the celebration to rally together their employees as “WishMakers.”
“I think my favorite thing about NOV partnering with Make-A-Wish is how accessible the wishes are to our employees. It gives our employees a chance to really connect with the wish kids and their families,” said Allison Hablinski, VP of Marketing for NOV.
“WishMakers” is a term for anyone who steps up to take action for wish kids. Much like the very first wish granted on April 29, 1980, the anniversary of 7-year-old Chris Grecius’ wish to be a police officer, wishes have the power to bring entire communities together to rally around a child in need.
A huge Encanto fan, Stella, age 5, who is battling cancer, has been dreaming of her Disney adventure for a while. Her original trip was postponed due to a reaction to treatment. Thanks to wish sponsor, Valero, Stella got a chance of a lifetime on her dream Disney adventure.
“WishMakers are essential to giving children a piece of their childhood back. WishMakers are truly focused on bringing as much hope and joy to wish kids this month, and we are thrilled to share a little bit of magic each week as we celebrate our mission,” said Shelly Millwee, CEO and President of Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana.
For 4-year-old Joanna from Katy who battles Cystic Fibrosis, her dream recently came true when she got to meet her imaginary friends “The Wuz,” and “The Shoom,” in person for the first time during her wish trip to New York City! Joanna, who has a curious imagination, has been captivating her parents with the tales of her adventures with her imaginary friends, who are from Central Park. Thanks to our friends at the Metro New York Chapter, and Budzies a company that allows you to design your own plushies, Joanna got the trip of a lifetime, and two new plushies to take home.
Caldwell Companies also helped to grant a wish for Hayden, a 7-year-old from Cypress, whose dream was to go to the St. Thomas Virgin Islands. Hayden, who battles leukemia, is now going to achieve his dream of seeing dolphins and go to the beach!
“We are so blessed and thankful to get to support Make-A-Wish. It is such a blessing to us. The reason we wanted to grant wishes is – we have a goal at Caldwell Companies to make life better for all that we get to do life with and that certainly applies to Hayden and his family and all the Wish kids. We look forward to the opportunity to help more and more of these Wish families,” said Fred Caldwell, founder of Caldwell Companies.
For more information on our WishMakers, visit www.wish.org/texgulf or contact Michelle Mason, Director of Communications and Marketing, 713.562.5594 or mmason@texgulf.wish.org.