NOVEMBER 2023
NEWSLETTER
Congratulations to the 2023 Volunteer of the Year and Tommy Austin Award Winners
Our volunteers are some of the strongest pillars of Make-A-Wish. In November, we were pleased to welcome volunteers to our Houston office for the fall meeting and awards. This was our fourth in-person volunteer event of the year! After wish alum Kay Kay and her mother shared the impact of her wish with the crowd, Kay Kay helped us with the surprise announcement of her own volunteer, Angie French, as our 2023 Volunteer of the Year! Click here to watch Kay Kay thank Angie for bringing her wish to life! In addition, we celebrated 15 incredible volunteers for earning the prestigious Tommy Austin Award this year. Many of them were at the event, and all of them had the opportunity to visit with Tommy and receive their award from him at previous meetings in Houston and New Orleans. We are grateful for the countless hours and boundless energy that our volunteers spend in service to our mission and wish families. As Tommy often says, outside of wish kids, our volunteers are the most important people of Make-A-Wish! Congratulations to: Claudia Behm, Colleen Clifford, Robbie Durham, Kenny Horowitz, Philip Hurlston, Collin Keller, Michelle Keller, Holly LeBlanc, Michelle Ritter, Mara Romo, Sanda Evans Short, Tamra Strano, Janice Thigpen, Brenda Thomas-Nero, and Marilyn Uptmor!
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NOVEMBER 2023
I wish to go to San Diego Raeleigh, 10 congenital heart disease
NEW VALERO REFINERY IN NORCO, LA COMMITS $100K Through the Valero Texas Open Benefit for Children, Make-A-Wish received $335,000 this year from five Valero Refineries across our territory. The fundraising team has worked diligently to engage all refineries across our territory. In a surprise check presentation at the Norco refinery, our chapter received $100,000! This grant will fund wishes for children residing in St. Charles Parish. A huge thank you to the refineries in Corpus Christi, Houston, Port Arthur, Texas City, and Norco for their incredible support of our mission! Wish kid Raeleigh joined President and CEO Shelly Millwee and VP of Philanthropy Jessica Ansel for the check presentation, and we were able to celebrate her 10th birthday in a special way!
FASHION WOODLANDS EVENT FEATURES WISH ALUM GABBY, RAISES $18K I wish to go to Hawaii Gabby, 11 leukemia
For the second consecutive year, Make-A-Wish was a beneficiary of the Fashion Woodlands Fashion Show, hosted by Theresa Roemer at her home in Magnolia, TX. At one of Houston’s premier events of the season, Make-A-Wish staff and six volunteers shared our mission with a guest list of more than 300 people, including celebrity guests and major fashion designers. With proceeds from the raffle benefitting Make-A-Wish, noted jeweler Mark Pharo donated a custom piece valued at $26,000, and Houston designer Cesar Galindo donated front row seats to his show at New York Fashion Week. Combined with ticket sales, the event raised $18,000 to fund local wishes! Wish alum Gabby, whose wish to go to Hawaii was granted this year, stole the show when she walked the runway with Theresa! 02 / 04
NOVEMBER 2023
I WISH FOR A WHEELCHAIR SWING! Wish kid Katheryn enjoys being outdoors, but she has never been able to experience the simple joy of swinging in the sunshine. She wished for a wheelchair swing and a projector, so that she can watch her favorite movies outside. The Builders of Hope committee rallied around the project, with partners McCarthy Building Companies and Bellows Construction helping bring this wish to life. It is the 15th wish granted by the Builders of Hope. Watch Katheryn have her first swing!
I wish to have a wheelchair swing and projector
“We would like to express our gratitude for granting our child’s wish. We are incredibly excited for the joy it will bring...” --Molly, Katheryn’s mother
Katheryn, 19 respiratory failure
I wish to have a game room
Wish kid Marco had a fun surprise at our office when he learned that his wish for a room makeover had been granted while he was at school that day! While Marco was in class, volunteers Kelly P. and Grace O. went to his house and set up his new room. Thank you to Rexel and the Danforth family for sponsoring Marco’s wish!
Marco, 14 cancer
MISSION DELIVERY WISHES GRANTED CURRENT YEAR TO DATE
WISHES GRANTED PREVIOUS YEAR TO DATE
QUALIFIED REFERRALS YEAR TO DATE
142 109 212
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NOVEMBER 2023
WISH KIDS ATTEND PRIVATE SCREENING OF DISNEY’S “WISH” Through the partnership of Make-A-Wish and The Walt Disney Company, several wish families attended a private pre-screening of Disney’s newest animated film, Wish. At advance screenings around the country, Disney provided 40 tickets for local wish kids and their families to enjoy the film together and share the power of their own wishes. VP of Mission Delivery Breeze Acevedo, Wish Manager Jeralyn Leran, and several volunteers joined the families for a night filled with lots of with popcorn and fun!
WAYS TO SUPPORT MAKE-A-WISH THIS MONTH Black Bear Diner will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish from every holiday dessert sold & 100% of all donations from paper or virtual wish star sales. Find the Black Bear Diner Location near you Jewelry Television (JTV) is 20% of sales from its “Stars Like You” collection. Find the perfect gift here. PJ’s Coffee’s second annual holiday “star” campaign is running through December 31 in more than 125 locations nationwide. Purchase a $1, $3, or $5 star while grabbing your morning coffee! Find your closest participating PJ’s here. Send smiles to your family and friends while helping bring wishes to life with Teleflora. Through December 31, Telefora is donating 15% of sales of its “Send a Hug” North Pole Penguin Bouquet and Warm Wisher Tree. Click here to “Send a Hug” today. The Young Leaders Board held its annual bingo fundraiser at Moonshine Deck in Houston. On a gorgeous winter night, the event attracted more than 125 people in support of Make-A-Wish. Through six exciting rounds of bingo, YLB members and friends competed for prize baskets filled with items donated by local businesses. All prizes were sourced by YLB members.
Overall, the event raised more than $7,000!
WELCOME, EMILY! On November 27, we welcomed Emily Heinemann as our new Development Coordinator, providing administrative support across the development department. Emily has an extensive background in professional sports with the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sport and entertainment management from the University of South Carolina.
The Make-A-Wish staff wish you and your family a very happy holiday season and New Year! Our Houston and New Orleans offices will be closed December 25-January 1.
281-491-9474
12625 Southwest Fwy Stafford, TX 77477
504-846-9474
3340 Severn Ave., Ste. 350 Metairie, LA 70002
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