Dream Chronicles DECEMBER 2021, ISSUE 3 awish.org • 401-781-9199
Successfully Navigating Challenging Times As we approach the holiday season, we have much to be thankful for at A Wish Come True! We had a terrific year, highlighted by many successful fundraising events including the AWCT Golf Tournament. A huge thank you to Fund Development Committee members Steve Napolillo and Bill, Sean, Evan, and Ryan Finnegan. Through their leadership, more than $130,000 has been raised for AWCT – a truly outstanding effort! Our entire Board of Directors is thoroughly engaged in fundraising, and strongly believe in the mission of AWCT. Every Board member is personally invested in the work being done – sponsoring Wishes, fundraising for the Wish of Wellness, or the Meghan Duffy Hardship Fund. We have seen firsthand the difference that these programs are making in the lives of our Wish Families and the impact is tremendous! I’d like to thank each of my fellow Board Members for their leadership, commitment, and generosity. The Board and I are also most thankful for the truly fine work of our Executive Director, Mary-Kate O’Leary. Mary-Kate not only skillfully navigated our organization through difficult COVID challenges, but also increased our program offerings and support for our Wish Families when they needed it the most. This is a wonderful turnaround story! In less than three years, Mary-Kate has taken AWCT from an organization that was struggling, to one that is now thriving financially and growing the mission. In this effort, Mary-Kate has assembled a terrific team committed to the AWCT mission because they live it – all three are Wish Moms themselves. Nicole White, Jerilyn Dupuis and Laura Cioe are tremendously dedicated professionals who provide us with the feedback needed to create programs designed to meet the specific needs of our Wish Families. The caring embrace that they provide our Wish Families ensures that the Wishes we grant to our precious Wish Kids, and the supportive programs available through the Wish of Wellness, are successfully and expertly executed.
Message from our Executive Director It is hard to believe that I have been at A Wish Come True for three years. During this time, we have grown from an organization that focused solely on Wish granting, to an organization that now supports the entire family on a long-term basis. A year ago, we chose to expand our mission to granting Wishes AND providing resources to families that have a child struggling with a life-threatening illness living in RI or Southeastern MA. It is amazing to hear our donors tell us how much this makes sense. Our Wish Families are doing everything possible to make their child or children comfortable while treatments are happening, but no one is taking care of them. The struggle is real. I see it every day with my own incredible staff, all Wish Moms. They are my Wish Warriors and truly my heroes. Over the last year, we had many events that surpassed our hopes and dreams. People wanted to be out and support others, and it was wonderful to see such generosity. It was also a challenging year emotionally, as we watched a few of our children fight to the end and lose their battle to their disease. It is never easy. Financially, we have stabilized, and we are ambitious about our growth. We have exciting plans as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary on October 8th, 2022. None of this could be accomplished without our incredibly dedicated Board of Directors, amazing staff, volunteers, and our generous donors. We hope this newsletter will inspire you to give, knowing that your investment is truly saving lives. Sincerely, Mary-Kate O’Leary Executive Director
So, at this special time of year when we can give thanks for our own families and the blessings we enjoy, I would ask you to join us in our mission to successfully serve our Wish Families. Please consider sponsoring a Wish Family for the holidays or make a direct gift to help our families when they need it most – it will truly be the best investment you can make. Many thanks, Colleen Duffy Board Chair
Our Wish Family Picnic: Over 100 in Attendance at the Boy Scout’s Camp in Cranston!
Granting a Wish of Wellness Expansion of Program Services to Families Celebrates Huge Success & Incredible Impact In August 2020, A Wish Come True expanded resources to meet the needs of Wish Families thanks to a startup grant from DCU for Kids. The program began as a small group of Wish Parents exhausted and in need of support. “Through surveys and family feedback we learned that our Wish Parents were suffering greatly due to the impacts of COVID-19 on top of the tremendous stress that comes with having a child with a life-threatening illness,” stated Nicole White, Director of Program Services. “No one truly understands how difficult it is to take care of multiple children, provide school in the home, cook, clean and take my son to doctor’s appointments three times a week for treatment,” stated a parent of a 15-year-old boy. “I never get a break. I am exhausted and when I finally put my head down on the pillow my mind is spinning so I don’t forget anything. It is so hard and A Wish Come True has been the only group that truly understands this. It is true that there are other resources out there, but when on earth do I have time to go to City Hall to apply for rent assistance or go to the food bank for groceries?” added the parent.
The Wish of Wellness Program has three components: The Meghan Duffy Hardship Fund A fund established to help families deal with financial crisis as they are struggling to care for their child. We raised over $33,000 in funding for 32 families to date. Most families request financial assistance for groceries, rent, car repairs and for additional help during the holidays. Support includes gift certificates for gas, toys, and presents during Christmas.
Partnership with Integrative Healthcare Solutions (IHS) and Raffa Yoga This allows us to provide relaxation, as well as health and wellness education tools to parents. On a monthly basis, parents participate in ‘Healing Days’ focused on allowing them to relax and provide peer support. To date, 70 participants have participated in this program. “It changed my life. I was having a melt down every night. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown or worse. Until I met the staff at AWCT and Catherine DeOrsey at IHS, I thought I was not going to make it. Today, thanks to their support and the incredible facilities at Raffa Yoga, I have lost 40 lbs. and I am much healthier than I have been in years,” stated Wish Mom, Kathy.
Teen Program Funded by CharterCare Foundation This past summer, thanks to an expansion grant from CharterCare Foundation, we started the first Teen Program at Raffa Yoga. We had 80 Wish Kids, siblings and supportive friends participate in the program. They learned Well-being 101, Stress reduction, Self Esteem/Confidence and Adapting to Change. Feedback has been very positive: “I would tell others that if they wanted to learn more about themselves and how to relax and deal with your illness then this is the program for you. We can’t wait for it to start up again,” stated Milo.
EVENT HIGHLIGHT ROCK, RHYTHM AND BLUES
MEET OUR TEAM
26th Year Raises Over $42,000 – Our Most Successful Year Yet!
Nicole White Director of Program Services
How did the idea of the Westport RR&B get started?
Nicole has worked at A Wish Come True for close to three years and is Wish Mom to Kyrie. She is an exceptional mom and wife, as well as being a great asset to our team. Nicole lives in Cranston.
Frank: The idea started as I was surrounded by musicians being a performer and music educator. My late friend (a professional trumpet player and manager of his owner variety store), put those resources together and the festival was first scheduled as a oneday event. We looked for a charity to donate to, and A Wish Come True stuck out because of the high percentage of return that goes right to the kids. Eventually, more musicians wanted to take part for the exposure and to help support AWCT, thus turning into a two-day event. All the bands donate their time for free! The Friday BBQ, which first started as a pre-festival dinner for the volunteers, has grown tremendously. We now have over 200 people in attendance just for the Friday night BBQ. We partner with Gary Simon of Simply Simon’s Restaurant and volunteers who just cook up a storm. Our goals are always to get as much donated as possible so we can raise more funds for the kids.
Jerilyn Dupuis Office Manager Jerilyn started at A Wish Come True in 2021 as our Bookkeeper and is Wish Mom of two great kids Zoie and Jacoby. She is a wonderful team member and a dedicated Mom. Jerilyn is married and lives in Pascoag.
Laura Cioe Frank Ray and Wendy Sperduti
What has surprised you most about the event?
Why is this event so important to you?
The event has become a “reunion” of friends and family. The mixture in the crowd is amazing. Bikers, moms and dads, grandparents, rich, poor, senators and politicians, nuns, electricians, doctors, lawyers ... You get the gist. All very generous people wanting to give more to help children that are sick.
In the past 26 years I’ve had so many people involved in this event that have since passed away, but we still remember their generosity and kindness. There is a story to tell about each and every one of them - their special quirks, talents, or simply their love for helping the kids get their Wish.
How much did you raise this past year?
Frank Ray and his wife, Wendy Sperduti, are very active members in the Westport Community. Frank is also on the Board of Directors for A Wish Come True, and Wendy works in the Westport Community Center teaching classes to Seniors. Both are very passionate supporters of A Wish Come True. We thank them for their unwavering support and generosity.
We raised $42,000 in 2021. It was amazing to see the generosity of people. We also decided we had to increase the ticket price this year because there are so many children out there who need our help. We can’t wait until next year!
Assistant Wish Coordinator/ Administrative Assistant Laura recently joined our team in October. In her short time with us, Laura has already proven to be an excellent team member. She is a terrific Wish Mom to Nicholas and her two other children. Laura, her husband and their family live in Cranston.
WE MAKE WISHES COME TRUE Jenashia and her family in Orlando had the time of their lives staying at Give Kids The World and visiting Walt Disney World for her Wish! Thank you to Coach Ed Cooley and his family for sponsoring Jenashia’s trip.
1010 Warwick Ave., Warwick, RI 02888 awish@awishcometrue.org 401-781-9199
2021 Board of Directors Colleen Duffy, Board Chair David Belhumeur- Interim Treasurer, Finance Chair Ron Volpe, Secretary John Carvalho James Cavanaugh Jr. Bill Finnegan Paula Pais Leach Kristin Lessard Steve Napolillo Amy Parker Frank Ray
Celebrating 40 years of A Wish Come True
UPCOMING EVENTS 2022 SAVE THE DATES!
We are excited to announce that our 40th Year Anniversary will be celebrated throughout 2022. It will culminate with an incredible Gala at the WaterFire Arts Center on October 8th, 2022 followed by a Wish Family Reunion on October 9th for our families. We never could have imagined that over $8.6 million worth of Wishes (close to 1700) would be granted since 1982. We could not have done this without the incredible support of this community, leaders on the Board of Directors, and an incredible staff all passionately focused on helping grant Wishes and helping to relieve pressure on families while they are going through difficult times. We will initiate our ‘40 for 40’ Campaign on January 1st, 2022 at our 18th Annual Polar Plunge event. The goal is to raise $400,000 to fund 40 Wishes to children while also growing our Wish of Wellness Program for the entire family. Your gift can directly support a child’s Wish, the Wish of Wellness, or the Meghan Duffy Hardship Fund for families in crisis. To commemorate our 40th Anniversary, any gift over $1,000 will grant you membership into the newly created Wishing Well Society. Additionally, you will be recognized for your giving, be invited to special VIP functions, and, most importantly, you will know the deep joy that comes with making a sick child receive their Wish while also helping a family get back on their feet. “What is better than that?” added Napolillo. “We believe this community will help us reach this goal. This past year we have added 350 new donors, and we hope to have many more!”
January 1st
18th Annual Polar Plunge Easton’s Beach - Newport March 29th
Give Kids the World Volunteer/ Donor Trip Are you interested in volunteering in Florida? Please contact Mary-Kate at marykate@awishcometrue.org to learn more. April 30th
26th Annual Wish Dance “We wanted to do something big for the 40th Anniversary,” said Steve Napolillo, Fund Development Chair for AWCT and Associate Athletic Director of Providence College. “My goal has been to raise awareness for this incredible organization that helps Wish Kids and their families.”
To donate, visit us on the web at www.awish.org
Whites of Westport, Westport MA September 10th - 12th
27th Annual Rock, Rhythm and Blues Concert Holy Ghost Club, Westport, MA October 8th
A Wish Come True’s 40th Anniversary Gala WaterFire Arts Center October 9th
A Wish Come True’s Wish Family Reunion WaterFire Arts Center