Thirteen-year-old D’ausha is a typical teenage girl with an outgoing personality! She enjoys being creative through drawing, making various crafts and cooking. When D’ausha was diagnosed with lupus nephritis, an inflammation of the kidney caused by a disease of the immune system, it did not dampen her spirit.  She met with Make-A-Wish® volunteers to discuss what her most heartfelt wish would be. She decided that there could not be a  better wish for a teenage girl than a shopping spree!  D’ausha started off her wish day in style when she was picked up from her house in a personal limousine.  Her first stop was a visit to Best Buy, where her personal shopper, Lindsey, helped her pick out the perfect iPad and Apple accessories. Next, it was time to head over to the Mall of Georgia. D’ausha picked out a few pairs of stylish shoes, trendy clothes and accessories. It was a fun-filled day for D’ausha and her family; they will never forget how Make-A-Wish helped to make her wish come true.

Bounce to make wishes come true! From April 29-May 22 all BounceU locations will sell Wish Candles and host Open Bounce events on “Make-A-Wish Wednesdays” leading up to a nationwide “Big, Big Bounce” on May 22. Join us at the Kennesaw location on May 22^nd for a special event for the whole family. Moms and dads can enjoy free massages and more during the Big, Big Bounce! Contact Kathryn Harper for more information 770.916.9474 x26.

Savage Race, an extreme mud and obstacle run company, is pleased to announce its partnership with the Georgia chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation^®. Savage Race encourages all participants to make a donation to the local chapter through a dedicated donation page, “text to give” number and sponsored Water Balloon booth. Standard Entry registration for the May 11 race is now open at www.savagerace.com. Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. on May 3.

To make a donation to Make-A-Wish^® Georgia, visit www.walkforwishes.org/atlanta/savagerace.

A foursome is $300 and individuals are welcome for $75 per person (random teams will be formed).  Visit www.drayerpt.com  to learn more.

Make-A-Wish® Georgia will be hosting its 9^th Annual Walk for Wishes this Saturday, April 20, 2013, at Turner Field.  The two mile walk, with pre-and post-event activities at Turner Field’s Grand Plaza, is one of the organization’s flagship events and has a fundraising goal of $325,000.

At the Walk, thousands of Georgians will gather to increase awareness around the work of Make-A-Wish Georgia and raise funds to support the granting of wishes for local children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Walk Chairman, John J. Inhouse, III, Managing Director of the Atlanta Buckhead Complex for Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, encouraged Merrill Lynch employees, as well as all Atlanta companies, to form corporate teams and participate in the event.

“The Walk for Wishes is a great way to build a spirit of compassion and corporate social responsibility amongst employees as they give of themselves to help others,” said Inhouse.  “It is a perfect fit for me to be a part of this wonderful organization that, like ours, values supporting people in our local community.”

Date: Saturday, April 20, 2013

Time: Fun begins at 8:00 a.m./ Walk begins at 9:00 a.m.

Location: Turner Field, Grand Plaza, 755 Hank Aaron Drive, Atlanta 30315

Register: www.walkforwishes.org/atlanta

Three wish children, Shuron, Gracie and Jayden, have been selected to serve as “Wish Kid Ambassadors” for this signature event.

Sixteen-year-old Shuron suffers from a rare condition called intestinal lymphangiectasia.  This is an abnormal absorption in the intestinal tract that robs her body of key nutrients.  Over the past four years, she has endured countless tests and treatments, receiving nightly infusions to replenish calcium, potassium and other nutrients that her body discards rather than absorbs.  Shuron wished for a reprieve for her family, far away from physicians and the other daily concerns associated with her health condition.  She and her family visited Waikoloa, Hawaii and had the experience of a lifetime!

Fifteen-year-old Gracie has acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and hopes to become an author one day.  Her favorite escape from her medical treatments and hospital visits happens in the world of teen fiction, and the television shows associated with her favorite books.  Being able to escape into the alternate worlds created by some of her favorite television shows was the one thing that helped Gracie feel like a normal teenager.  This led her to know exactly what she wanted for her wish experience – the opportunity to visit the set of her favorite television show and have some time to hang out with the actors and actresses who bring her favorite fictional tales to life!

Five-year-old Jayden was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis when he was just three years old.  This is a disorder in which excess immune system cells, called Langerhans cells, build up in the body. Langerhans cells, which normally help to regulate the immune system, are found throughout the body, but in these instances may cause life-threatening damage to organs and tissues.  When asked about what he wanted to do more than anything for his wish experience, he knew immediately that he wanted to visit Disneyworld and ride trains with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and all of his other favorite Disney characters!

The Wish Kid Ambassadors will help to spread the word about the event as well as the organization’s mission through the telling of their own wish experiences and reflections on the impact that their wishes had on their lives.

Over 650 children- in Georgia alone- are waiting for their most heartfelt wishes to come true.  The chapter aims to grant 425 wishes this fiscal year.

Individuals and teams may register for the Walk for Wishes by visiting www.walkforwishes.org/atlanta.  There is no registration fee and the event is family-friendly.  Those who are unable to participate can still make donations by visiting our website, http://georgia.wish.org, or by texting “WISH10” to 50555 to make a $10.00 single donation.  Individuals also have an opportunity to donate airline miles via our website to help make wishes come true for local children.

About Make-A-Wish

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.  With the help of generous donors and over 30,000 volunteers worldwide, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the world every 23 minutes and has granted over 280,000 wishes since its inception in 1980.  The Georgia Chapter of Make-A-Wish has granted nearly 6,000 wishes locally and has over 600 children waiting for their most heartfelt wishes to come true.  To learn more about Make-A-Wish Georgia, please visit our website at http://georgia.wish.org, connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/makeawishgaal and follow us on Twitter @MakeAWishGA.

This year’s tournament will be held at the world-renowned Golf Club of Georgia. The Golf Club of Georgia is highly supportive of amateur golf, hosting The Georgia Cup since 1998 and The United States Collegiate Championship since 2006.
Golfers will have a chance to meet past wish recipients, who will ignite the day with their hope, strength and joy.

The tournament day consists of a shamble format with over 36 holes, silent auction, and an awards reception. Prizes will be given to the 1st place net team, 2nd place net team, 3rd place net team, closest to the hole, longest drive and hole in one.
To learn more please contact Kari Love:
770.916.WISH (9474) x 17
klove@georiga.wish.org

Special thanks to this year’s sponsors:

PRESENTING:

Novelis

PLATINUM:

AT&T

GOLD:

Applied Computer Solutions
EMC2
Hitachi Data Systems
IBM
Openet

SILVER:

Amdocs
BMC Software
Cisco Systems, Inc.
HP
NetApp
ProSys
Symantec
Tech Mahindra

BRONZE:

Alvarez & Marsal
Brocade
CGI
Compuware
CA Technologies
Dell
HCL Technologies
Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc.
KPMG
Nexus IS
Oracle
PwC
Red Hat, Inc.
Telcobuy.com, LLC
The Intersect Group
United Healthcare Georgia

IN-KIND:

680 The Fan
The Atlantan
Coca-Cola
H & W Printing
Nalley Volkswagen
TSS Photography

Atlanta, Georgia – April 3, 2013 ­– It’s a celebration more than 30 years in the making: in 1980, a 7-year-old boy received his heartfelt wish to be a police officer for a day. That one wish inspired the founding of Make-A-Wish^® and launched the wish granting movement that circles the globe today. Beginning April 1 and culminating in World Wish Day^® on April 29, Make-A-Wish chapters throughout the country will mark the special event with a campaign to raise dollars and airline miles to fund airline tickets for wishes that involve travel.

Each year, Make-A-Wish Georgia grants nearly 425 life-changing wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. These wish experiences can be pivot points in the course of a child’s treatment, making them feel better and in some cases, even helping them get better. A wish-come-true strengthens families, provides moments of happiness and inspiration, and helps create strong community bonds.

Nearly 75 percent of wishes require air travel, making it a critical – and costly – resource. In fact, approximately 1,530 airline tickets, the equivalent of 76,500,000 airlines miles, are needed each year to get local wish kids and their families to and from these incredible experiences.

During the month of April, supporters can visit http://georgia.wish.org/ways-to-help/celebrateworld-wish-day/ to donate dollars or airline miles in just a few easy steps. As an added incentive, WWE^® Superstar John Cena^® will personally match every frequent flier mile donated in April, up to 4.5 million. United Airlines will also support World Wish Day by matching the donations of its MileagePlus^® members, up to 3 million miles, through April 30.

Any locally-based companies interested in participating in a corporate airline miles donation program during the month of April, or throughout the year, should contact Kari Love at klove@georgia.wish.org.

Several other Make-A-Wish sponsors are coordinating special World Wish Day promotions nationally, including Maggiano’s Little Italy^®, Marquis^®, Brooks Brothers, and Dave & Buster’s. The month will culminate with the announcement of a new national sponsor.

“Air travel is a critical resource as we work to grant the heartfelt – and oftentimes very creative – wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions,” said John J. Brennan, CEO of Make-A-Wish Georgia. “Donating airline miles or dollars will allow us to continue creating thousands of lasting moments for children with life-threatening medical conditions.”

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About Make-A-Wish Georgia

Make-A-Wish Georgia is the local chapter of the national Make-A-Wish network.  We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.  Our chapter has been granting the wishes of local children since 1995, and will grant our 6,000th wish in Georgia this year.  To learn more about Make-A-Wish Georgia, visit our website at http://www.georgia.wish.org, like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/makeawishgaal and follow us on twitter @MakeAWishGA.

About Make-A-Wish

Make-A-Wish^® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true can have positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illnesses, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Based in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 38 minutes. It has granted more than 226,000 wishes since its inception in 1980; nearly 14,000 in 2012 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish at wish.org to learn more.

Atlanta, Georgia - April 3, 2013 ­– Make-A-Wish^® Georgia, with the help of longtime supporter, WWE^®, is sending eight-year-old James of Sandersville, Georgia, to WrestleMania^® 29 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday, April 7. James is part of a group of 38 kids with life-threatening medical conditions from around the world who wished to attend sports entertainment’s biggest event.