September 2023 Update to Board of Directors

EnterpriseRent-A-CarSurprisesWishKidAdonis

Make-A-WishwasinvitedtoattendEnterprise’sManager’sSummitinMontgomery,Texas Infront ofmorethan150managersandseniorleadersofEnterprise,PresidentandCEOShellyMillwee spokeaboutthemissionandlocalimpactofMake-A-Wish.Then,thecrowdrecognizedwishkid Adonisandhisfamily AsAdoniswascomingtothestage,everyoneintheaudienceprepared thesurprise...whenAdonisturnedaround,hesawhundredsofpeoplewearingMickeyears,and EnterpriseleadersannouncedhiswishtogotoDisneyWorldwouldbegranted!Feeltheenergy inthefamily’svideohere!

Enterprisehaslaunchedtheirannualemployeegivingcampaign,andMake-A-Wishwasthe No.1choiceamongEnterpriseemployeestobethebeneficiary.Inonlytwoyears,thecombined impactofEnterprise’semployeedonationsandcorporategiftshastotaled$330,000!

TheLearningExperience Raises$70,000!

After raising nearly $70,000 for local wishes, the staff at The Learning Experience Bella Terra hosted a send-off party for wish kid Matthew before his trip to Disney Land! We are pleased to partner with TLE, which has 17 Houston locations for daycare and early childhood education.

“Itwasawonderfulvacationwithoutanyworries.Wecould focusonenjoyingourtimetogetherasafamilyandcelebrating Matthewandnothingelse.Weareoverwhelmedwith gratitude.”

--Matthew’sMom

FORT BEND ISD NAMES SCHOOL AFTER WISH KID ALYSSA UPCOMING EVENTS

BOD-YLB Lunch

OCTOBER 7; 11:30 AM

EL TIEMPO

12710 SOUTHWEST FREEWAY; STAFFORD; 77474

ALYSSA FERGUSON ELEMENTARY DEDICATION

OCTOBER 15; 4:30 PM

1300 HERITAGE PARK DR.; MISSOURI CITY; 77459

BOARD MEETING

OCTOBER 25

MAW OFFICE/TEAMS AVAILABLE

FRIENDS FOR WISHES BBQ COOKOFF

OCTOBER 28

WALLER COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS

MAW BOARD LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

NOVEMBER 9

MAW OFFICE/VIRTUAL

Make-A-Wish America’s Board

Leadership Institute is designed to engage boards in case studies, collaborative challenges, and dynamic discussion around several key board issues.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Please direct questions to Shelly

In January 2014, two days after her 12th birthday, Alyssa was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer In August 2014, we granted her wish to dig a water well for a village in Africa. Her inspirations for her wish were the book, A Long Walk to Water, and her faith. After Alyssa passed away in January 2017, her family created Alyssa’s World Changers Fund to continue providing water wells to communities in need across Africa and Asia On October 15, Fort Bend ISD is hosting a dedication ceremony for the Alyssa Ferguson Elementary School, which opened this fall.

supporter of our mission as we continue to build relationships in Louisiana

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE BOARD CALENDAR

40YearsofWishesinTexasGulfCoast&Louisiana!

This year marks a major milestone for Make-A-Wish as our chapter celebrates 40 years of granting wishes for children acrosssoutheastTexasandLouisiana.

Tocommemoratethe10,800+wishesgrantedsinceourinception in1984,youwillseeouranniversarylogoonallmaterialsduring thisfiscalyear.

THANKYOUforfourdecadesofsupport!

RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR...

After a record-setting fiscal year, the Make-A-Wish team took time to celebrate and begin planning an even bigger 2024! Joined by our staff from Louisiana, we spent a day reflecting on each department’s accomplishments in service of our wish families, followed by a planning session to discuss new ideas and opportunities for the chapter. Then, it was time to unwind at our national corporate partner, Painting with a Twist! There were lots of laughs, music trivia, and even a dance contest as we created our wish-themed dandelion masterpieces.

ThemostmemorableoftheNewYear’sfestivitieswastheBoard-StaffdinneratthehomeofFY23 ChairKristinPalmer.Wesharedstoriesandlaughsandenjoyedtheopportunitytogettoknow eachotheralittlemore.

YoucanwatchtheFY23HighlightVideohere.

ThankyoutoKristinandBarryforopeningtheirhometous!

BOARD APPROVED WISH: CHRISTIAN GOES TO HAWAII!

Wish kid Christian age 8 has endured a difficult medical journey. He was diagnosed with a of acute myeloid leukemia. He am said that travel needed to on and grant his wish with the g on the beach and exploring

THANK YOU to NOV for taking Make-A-Wish “Out to the Ballgame” at the annual Diamonds and Derricks tournament

That morning, NOV surprised wish kid Edgar with the news that he would soon be on his way to Hawaii! Edgar’s wish is the third of four that NOV has committed to granting this year!

N DELIVERY ANTED TO DATE REFERRALS

ANTED TO DATE

37 23 59

FRIENDS FOR WISHES GOLF TOURNAMENT IS A “HOLE IN ONE”

On September 18, Friends for Wishes held their inaugural “Golfing for Wishes” tournament at Wildcat Country Club in Houston. It was gorgeous day for golf, and the Friends for Wishes leaders and volunteers created another amazing event to go with the BBQ Cookoff and Fishing Tournament The golf tournament raised nearly $50,000!

The star of the show was precocious wish kid Sailor, pictured here with Friends for Wishes founder Norman Walker

TheWishBallisOfficiallyLaunched!

OnOctober5,wemadethepublicannouncementwitha pressreleaseandagalatakeoverofallofourdigitalmedia channels.Inotherexcitingnews,allHoustonprofessional sports teams have confirmed their participation in the WishBall!

All Wish Ball information can be found at www.wishballhouston.org PromotetheWishBallonyourLinkedInPagesHere

WELCOME, SAVANNAH!

On September 13, we welcomed Savannah Martin to the deve team as our new Donor Care Specialist. Reporting to Jessica Ans Philanthropy, Savannah is responsible for tracking developmen and donor information in Salesforce, gift entry and acknowledg and managing donor stewardship efforts. Savannah has a Ba Degree in Communications with a minor in Psychology from Te University. To view all of our open positions, please click here.

BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES

BOARD/ADVISORSBIRTHDAYS

Dr Daniel Penny: Oct 1

Thomas Hatfield: Oct. 9

Bill Windham: Oct. 13

Heather Hrap: Oct. 18

Kirsty McCormack: Oct 18

Dan Bellow: Oct. 31

STAFFBIRTHDAYS

Melissa Henderson: Oct 12

Nicole Gabler: Oct. 18

STAFFANNIVERSARIES

Morgan Manuel: Oct 17 (1 year)