Teenage Girl from Howell Surprised With Her Wish To Go To A Teen Awards Show In Hollywood
March 01, 2018
Monroe Township, NJ - 14-year-old Claudia from Howell, New Jersey, arrived at Jersey Mike’s Subs in Brick Plaza on Thursday afternoon, completely unaware that her wish, granted by Make-A-Wish New Jersey, was about to come true. Surprised by dozens of guests, including her closest friends and family, volunteers and staff from Make-A-Wish New Jersey and Jersey Mike’s Subs, Claudia was treated like a star upon arrival and quickly discovered that her wish to go to California and attend a teen awards show was about to come true.
President & CEO of Make-A-Wish New Jersey addressed the cheering crowd – and Claudia and her family – announcing that her wish was officially granted. Claudia and her family were filled with tears of joy upon hearing the exciting details of the upcoming trip to Hollywood on March 22nd. After she was presented with her wish, Claudia joined the Jersey Mike’s team behind the counter for a 3-minute sub-making challenge, facing off against Make-A-Wish New Jersey Wish Coordinator Alina Santana. Each contestant was challenged with making as many subs as possible in 3 minutes, with coaching from Jersey Mike’s Subs team members.
The challenge was a close one – and Claudia came out the winner.
The sub challenge and wish reveal event on March 1st celebrated the kickoff of the 2018 Month of Giving campaign. Sixty Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurants throughout New Jersey have joined forces with Make-A-Wish New Jersey to aid the organization in their mission to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Throughout the entire month of March, customers can make a donation to Make-A-Wish New Jersey at any of the 60 Jersey Mike’s participating locations. And on Wednesday March 28th, Jersey Mike’s Subs “Day of Giving”, Jersey Mike’s restaurants will donate 100% of the day’s sales to Make-A-Wish New Jersey.
Last year, Jersey Mike’s Subs donated $263,000 to Make-A-Wish New Jersey, resulting in 28 wishes granted to local children.
“Wherever there is a Jersey Mike’s, within close proximity, rest assured there is a wish family,” shared Tom Weatherall, President & CEO of Make-A-Wish New Jersey. “Last year we granted 530 wishes - a record year for us. The Jersey Mike’s Month of Giving campaign helped fuel our resources so we could go out and find more of these children and ask them that magical question, ‘If you could have one wish, what would it be?’, and it gave us the confidence that no matter what their answer may be, we could say that their wish will be granted.”
Now celebrating its 35th Anniversary, Make-A-Wish New Jersey has granted over 9,500 wishes since its inception in 1983. With a goal of granting well over 500 wishes again this year, the generous support of corporations like Jersey Mike’s Subs is critical to the organization’s continued success.
For more information about Make-A-Wish New Jersey, visit nj.wish.org.