Highlights of Recent Events

WishFlight Takes Off for Florida

When our local wish child Oluwasefunmi and her family left on her wish to go to Walt Disney World® Resort, her flight was unlike most of the other flights our wish kids travel on. She was on the WishFlight!!! Caring volunteers from the Something mAAgic Foundation® joined with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to bring joy to a local child by helping her take off on the wish of her dreams. Once a year, American Airlines flies children from around the world on WishFlight to Orlando, Fla., for their Make-A-Wish experience. The children and their families participate in several events, including bon voyage parties in their departing cities, welcome parties in Orlando and a special celebration at Give Kids The World® Village in Kissimmee, Fla., where Oluwasefunmi was about to stay for a week.

Something mAAgic Foundation volunteers, comprised mainly of American Airlines, American Eagle and American Airlines Federal Credit Union employees, work year-round to raise funds and plan the WishFlight festivities. The group has raised close to $500,000 for wish kids around the world since 1996. This year, 27 wish families were involved in the WishFlight program and the La Guardia American Airlines staff simply outdid themselves for little Oluwasefunmi!

Not only did she receive a princess tiara and princess shoes as she checked in at the beautifully decorated, exclusive check-in counter, she was also met by an AA employee dressed up as Cinderella, who then escorted her and her family through security and to the gate where the send-off party had been prepared for her. Along the way our little princess and her guardian were photographed by many "paparazzi" who just couldn't get enough of this enchanting sight!

The entire gate area was decorated with balloons, streamers, confetti and all guests there were treated to cookies, candy and drinks served by the flight attendants who were working the flight. As she entered the ramp to board the plane, Oluwasefunmi was greeted by a huge sign that welcomed her on board. And that's not all! The wish family's first class seats were all decorated and all the kids received some more presents. Once everybody was on board, all other AA employees who stayed behind gathered to wave good-bye to our wish child. They were joined by the ground crews who all held balloons and the sign and waved. Seeing the kids' faces as they looked out the windows of their planes was priceless!

Our thanks go to American Airlines and all the volunteers of the Something mAAgic Foundation® for their caring support and generosity.

Merrill Lynch New York City Sets Goal of Granting 50 Wishes

We are thrilled to welcome the New York City Region of Merrill Lynch to the Make-A-Wish family. Merrill Lynch New York City has partnered with us for their "Big Apple, Big Dreams" workplace giving program and their goal is to raise enough resources to grant 50 wishes in Metro New York.

The campaign began in early October, and we are impressed by the enthusiasm and generosity of the Merrill Lynch employees of the five offices in our region.

"There are so many causes that capture your attention," comments Brian Sepe, Regional Managing Director, New York City Region, Merrill Lynch, "but when you are thinking about brightening the lives of children facing life-threatening medical conditions, it's something that resonates with everybody."

It is always inspiring to learn about the many personal connections people have to our cause. We met one current Merrill Lynch employee whose son is scheduled to have his wish granted in December. Others shared how they perceive their business mission of helping their clients' hopes and dreams come true correlating well with the Make-A- Wish mission. Some Merrill Lynch employees are so excited to make wishes come true that they have created fun events in their offices to raise awareness and funds, such as an ice cream day, a Halloween costume contest, silent auctions and more.

The campaign, which runs through mid-November, is off to an incredible start with one office already raising enough resources to grant six wishes. We are grateful to Merrill Lynch and their regional employees for so enthusiastically welcoming us and embracing our mission.

Wishes In Bloom Planting Season

Now in its second year, our new Outreach initiative "Wishes In Bloom - Planting the Seeds of Hope, Strength and Joy" , aims to communicate our mission to diverse neighborhood groups and organizations in the five boroughs and Nassau County. By planting flowers in celebration of wishes being granted to sick children, local communities are brought together around a heart-warming and joyful cause. Each bulb planted represents a wish granted to a local child with a life-threatening medical condition.

The program, which has planted four Wish Gardens in 2006, created 12 new gardens this year. It provides a great opportunity for individuals, neighborhood groups and corporations to sponsor a site or become engaged in the beautification of their communities while expressing their commitment to the Make-A-Wish Foundation's mission. Through the generous collaboration of volunteers and community partners, the Make-A-Wish Foundation provides bulbs, planting tools and signage for each designated location. We are grateful to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Tri-State Area, Inc. for providing a grant to cover expenses for this program and to Partnerships for Parks for their assistance in securing planting locations.

Come visit the Wish Gardens this spring at: SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn; Progressive School of LI, Merrick; PS 174 William Sidney Mount School, Rego Park; PS125 Lucretia Mott, Far Rockaway; Flushing Hospital, Flushing; PS 188 Kingsbury School, Bayside; PS 193 Alfred J.Kennedy School, Whitestone; St. Mary's Park, Bronx; St. James Park, Bronx; Courtney Callender Playground, Harlem; Washington Square Park, Manhattan and South Woods Middle School, Syosset.

Make-A-Wish Golf Outing

Our 11th Annual Golf Outing presented by The Donaldson Organization was again held at the famous Winged Foot Golf Club. More than 220 golfers convened on September 24 to enjoy a picture-perfect golfing day and swing their clubs in support of our cause.

Although the final numbers are not yet available, it is safe to say that the event grossed more than $500,000. Our thanks and congratulations to Bob Donaldson , President of The Donaldson Organization, and all the golfers and sponsors who followed his lead!

25th Anniversary Kick Off

A select group of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York board members and supporters gathered on September 10 for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres to celebrate the launch of our chapter's 25th anniversary year. This was the first in a series of small, intimate gatherings to be held throughout this special year. We look forward to celebrating and acknowledging all those whose support and contributions have made it possible for our chapter to grow from granting two wishes in our first year to the new record of being involved in 744 wishes in fiscal year 2007.

All guests agreed that the power of a wish is as meaningful, compelling and inspiring today as on the day when our first wish child, Steven, got to meet Catherine Bach from the TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard".

Our special thanks go to Barry Salzman , former Advisory Board member, for hosting this intimate gathering at his penthouse terrace - a perfect setting for this memorable late-summer evening. For more photos, please click on the photo gallery link on the left.

Women Wishmakers 2007

On July 25, 2007, more than 120 illustrious guests joined us in celebrating three special women during the Fifth Annual Women Wishmakers Awards Night at Christie's in New York City. The evening's purpose was to acknowledge women as a vital part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation; they serve as board leaders, volunteers, referral sources, donors and staff. Our three honorees - Julie Bauer, President of The BauerWorks, Inc.; Kristen Esposito , Director of Public Relations, Macy's East; and Paulette Mullings Bradnock , Audit Director for the Internal Audit Division of AIG - represent the varied ways in which dedicated and exceptional women make significant and long-lasting contributions to the Foundation, strongly impacting the lives of the children we serve.

Make-A-Wish Day - Destination Joy

We celebrated the launch of the national Destination Joy presented by Lay's® signature campaign on June 5. Officially declared Make-A-Wish® Day in New York City by Mayor Bloomberg's office, this day is sure to be remembered for a long time by the 28 participating wish children and their families. The call to action, we all have the power to grant a wish, was heard loud and clear throughout the Metro New York area. Media highlights included a visit to the CBS Early Show and a detailed news piece on FOX 5 News.

Special thanks are due to all individuals and companies who generously gave of their time, location, goods and services to create a memorable day for the kids: Nigel Barker, The Orange County Choppers, Toys "R" Us Times Square, Penn Station, Jacques Torres Chocolate Factory, NY SKYRIDE in the Empire State Building, Dylan's Candy Bar and Cold Stone Creamery. To learn more about Destination Joy and the seven ways to help please go to www.wish.org

When You Wish Upon A Star 2007

When You Wish Upon A Star, our Annual Gala at The Pierre, is one of New York City's premier benefit events. This year, it surpassed past performances in many ways: a record number of ten title sponsors supported the event; a record amount of money was raised - an astounding $2 million! - and long-time Make-A-Wish supporter Stewart Rahr made a surprise announcement.

Both honorees chose this exclusive occasion to announce additional contributions to the Foundation. Vic Ascrizzi established a groundbreaking " Wish Bank " with initial gifts of round-trip airline tickets from American Airlines, British Airways, Continental, Delta and Lufthansa - a donation that could not be more timely as we enter our peak summer wish-granting season. In honoring Vic in such a way, these travel partners are providing vital resources to our most requested wishes for travel, helping us to fulfill our pledge of never turning away a qualified child.

Pam Daley also presented an invaluable gift: A new video produced by the creative team of NBC/Universal to tell the Make-A-Wish story and help us build funds and awareness to make many more wishes come true. The moving and passionate video premiered at the gala to thundering applause. On behalf of the children we serve: thank you, Pam and Vic for your dedication, caring and support!

Feeding the feeling of exuberance and excitement in the room even further was the surprise announcement of Stewart Rahr , President and CEO of Kinray Inc. and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York Advisory Board Member, to launch our forthcoming 25th anniversary campaign with a donation of $1 million - the first seven-figure individual donation in the history of the Metro New York chapter!

Stewart's impassioned speech reflected his commitment to and caring way with the special children we serve, and was rewarded with an enthusiastic standing ovation.

All this plus the seven wish children in attendance made this year's gala a resounding success and an unforgettable night for all those who had come to celebrate our honorees and the power and magic of a wish.

Volunteer Recognition 2007

This year's Volunteer Recognition event took place on November 30th at the Citibank Building in Long Island City. Apart from celebrating the outstanding work of our dedicated and amazing volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York also announced Lehman Brothers as the recipients of our annual Corporate Partnership Award. Through its philanthropic activities, Lehman Brothers seeks to support innovative not-for-profit organizations that work to advance quality healthcare, promote excellence - in the arts and culture - and provide critical services to children and youth. Lehman Brothers is an outstanding corporate supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York, providing a grant of $50,000 this year, including $12,000 to support our volunteer screening and training program.

Announcing this award in conjunction with the awards for Outstanding Rookie and Outstanding Volunteers seemed the most appropriate time and location. Congratulations and our heartfelt thanks to this year's award winning volunteers:

Rachna Vishnubhakat and Howard Pavane – Outstanding Rookies (volunteers whose active length of service to the Foundation is under one year, but whose achievements make them seem like seasoned veterans)

Sami Steigmann, Binta Christopher, Roberta Wasserman, Roseanne Celic and Karen Mason – Outstanding Volunteers

The volunteer awards are the highest recognition the Foundation bestows upon its volunteers, and all nominations for the award recipients come from their peers.

An additional “Thank You” goes to John Stewart , (Managing Director, National Distribution at Citibank) a member of our Board of Directors and a wish father himself, who generously sponsored this memorable event.

Why not join our extraordinary volunteer team? Please contact Norma Blank at nblank@metrony.wish.org to learn more about helping make wishes come true.

16th Annual Holiday Auction

What would the joyful “season of sharing and caring” be without our annual Holiday Auction? - Exactly! That's why the philanthropic elite gathered again this year at New York City's Puck Building on December 7th to bid on a series of luxury auction items to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York. We are grateful to the title sponsors Financial Dynamics, Mary Beth and David Verlander, Mike Coyle, Kristin and Jack Plym and Pricewaterhouse Coopers for their generous and enthusiastic support of this glamorous evening. Additional thanks go out to all other sponsors and participants who helped us hit our goal of making this year's Auction a memorable event for all attendants.

We were very lucky to secure an incredibly high-profile team of MCs for this event: Ernie Anastos – Anchor, Fox5 News; Alexis Christoforous – CBS News Anchor and national correspondent; and Frederique – Supermodel and host/producer of TLC's “Cover Shot”, all donated their time and talent to announce auction items and encourage our guests to bid. Eloquent and charming wish child Maggie kicked off the live auction, reminding us all of the power of a wish and of how important it is to raise more money in support of our mission. Available for bidding were enticing packages such as invitations to ABC-TV's Ultimate New Year's Eve Party , a visit to the set of Fox-5 News, including a personal tour by famed Anchor Ernie Anastos , a TRL MTV Experience , and participating at Derek Jeter's Fantasy Clinic , to name a few. Seasoned auctioneer Catherine Elkies, in her usual enthusiastic way, kept the big bids rolling in. In case you missed this year's auction, please make sure to join us next year on Novenber 7th.

CD 101.9 Radio-thon

This past holiday season CD101.9 broadcast an hourly 30 to 60 second snippet featuring wish children, their families and wishgranting volunteers talking about the power of a wish, the impact it had on their lives and the hope, strength and joy they experienced because of the service we provide.

People heard the stories and impressions of 12 wish children, 21 wish family members and four wishgranting volunteers, all illustrating the magic and the power of a wish. Their comments will touch your heart, and show the variety of wishes that children imagine: From digging for dinosaur bones to going to the famous Abbey Road Studios in London; from being a model for one day to getting Jedi Training - there are no limits to children's imagination!

For more information about CD 101.9 click here to visit their website.

Wishes In Bloom

Planting The Seeds of Hope, Strength and Joy is a new program launched this Fall to reach out to and communicate our mission to under-served communities that might benefit from the work we do. Thanks to the generous donation of bulbs from Make-A-Wish supporters and volunteers, we were able to provide each of the four participating schools with 471 bulbs to plant in their self-assigned Make-A-Wish Garden: the exact number of wishes we granted in fiscal year of 2006. Inviting school children and community members to plant flowers in celebration of wishes being granted to children in their community who have life-threatening medical conditions seems to us like a very fitting image of the work we do: Planting the seeds of hope, strength and joy. It is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to local communities and raise their awareness of the service we provide while helping them beautify their community areas. Each participating school or community group will not only plant, but also tend "their" garden. With our first planting season under our belt, we look forward to this program being embraced by many more schools and neighborhood organizations in the upcoming years.

Janet Heller, the Principal of Patria Mirabal Middle School 324 in Washington Heights - the first Wishes In Bloom partner - commented, “We are proud to be involved in the Make-A-Wish Foundation's planting of 471 bulbs on our campus which supports our mission to prepare students for college, work and citizenship. By participating in the event, students had the opportunity to be active members of society, taking on the civic responsibility of planting the bulbs and developing an understanding of and empathy toward children less fortunate than themselves.” Please let us know in case you know a school or community group that would like to participate or would like to sponsor a Make-A-Wish Garden. Contact: Milvi Vehik at (516) 944 6212 x145 or mvehik@metrony.wish.org

10th Annual Make-A-Wish Golf Outing

Despite bad weather forecasts, the actual day of this year's Make-A-Wish Golf Outing on Monday, October 23rd turned out to be sunny, albeit a bit windy. It seemed that the more than 200 golfers who convened at the famous Winged Foot Golf Club course to play for a good cause did not mind this little additional challenge. Chilly winds or not, they all enjoyed to play 18 holes of golf at one of the finest golf courses, and generously supported the mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York - to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. More than $ 450,000 was raised through sponsorship packages, foursome sales and raffles on the day of the event. A heartfelt Thank You goes out to Bob Donaldson from Donaldson Acoustics Co., Inc. for his continuing sponsorship of this event and to the Winged Foot Golf Club for being our gracious host once again. We are also grateful to all golfers and attendees for their generous support and contributions, which allow us to grant more wishes and bring hope, strength and joy to eligible children at a time when they need it most.