The 29th annual Adopt-A-Wish Holiday Campaign, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York’s longest-running fundraiser throughout the 15 counties we serve, kicks off this month, featuring many of its familiar elements and a new Presenting Sponsor: NYSCOPBA.
This year, stars featuring wish kid ambassadors — six from the Greater Capital Region and two from the North Country — will be sold for a single suggested donation amount of $5 per star.
This vitally important fundraising campaign runs through the holidays. For the fourth year, it will include a Day of Wishes Telethon in partnership with CBS6 Albany and B95.5. Despite the pandemic, the 2020 telethon shattered expectations and records, raising more funds for wishes for children with critical illnesses than the first two years combined! The telethon will be held at Colonie Center on Thursday, Dec. 2.
“The Adopt-A-Wish Holiday Campaign, unique among Make-A-Wish chapters, is an enduring fundraiser that serves as a testament to the generosity of the community we serve,” Make-A-Wish Northeast New York CEO William C. Trigg, III, said.
Stars will be available at Crossgates Mall, Colonie Center, Wilton Mall, Aviation Mall, Champlain Centre and various businesses and schools throughout the region. You will also be able to donate directly to the campaign via adoptawishneny.org.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
This campaign is made possible by the hundreds of volunteers throughout the chapter who generously donate their time to staff our booths. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Director of Development Kirsten Broschinsky at [email protected] or 518-456-9474.
THE AMBASSADORS FEATURED ON THIS YEAR’S STARS
CAPITAL REGION
Isabella, 3, Gansevoort
I wish to have sensory equipment
Isabella, who faces physical and developmental challenges, saw her life profoundly impacted by her sensory room wish.
“Isabella lights up every time she goes into the sensory room,” wish mom Cristina said. “She still doesn’t smile much. She has a lot of pain and discomfort. But she loves it.”
The room features assorted apparatus, including a padded floor and harness and track system, which gives Isabella newfound mobility.
“It has various pieces of equipment that help her experience things that maybe a typical child might be able to experience, like trying to walk and crawl,” Cristina said.
The wish mom said the room has impacted the quality of life of the entire family.
“The sensory room makes Isabella so happy,” Cristina said, “which has been making our lives so much better.”
Portia, 5, Broadalbin
I wish to go to Walt Disney World® Resort
Portia’s visit to Walt Disney World® Resort meant so much more than just a chance to meet some of her favorite princesses, such as Belle.
“It gave her a break,” wish mom Jessica said. “It gave her a chance to be a child again, and to have fun.”
Portia’s treatments dominated not only her life, but the entire family’s time. Going to Disney provided a much-needed opportunity to re-unite.
“We spent a lot of time in the hospital, so it was nice to bond as a family again. It just gave us hope,” Jessica said. “She got to spend quality time with her siblings. We have been going in so many different directions.”
The wish mom said the impact of wishes on children is powerful and lasting.
“It just gave us hope,” Jessica said. “The way she just lit up when we brought her into Disney. There is nothing that compares to that.”
Makaila, 7, Troy
I wish to go on a shopping spree
Wish mom Shantae struggled with how she would swing getting a new bedroom set for her growing daughter, Makaila. The mom got her wish — and so did Makaila.
Makaila’s shopping spree wish included that new bedroom set, and so much more.
“My favorite part is my bed because it’s cozy,” Makaila said, pointing out she loves her “Frozen” bedspread. “My wish made me happy.”
Mom, too: “She is able to sleep better. She got to upgrade to a big-girl bed.”
There was more, including a visit to The Disney Store and other shops.
“My wish [included] a Reborn [Baby] and Disney toys,” Makaila said. “My wish made me excited.”
And the wish made Shantae relieved.
“She was so overwhelmed and so excited,” the wish mom said. “Financially … we would not have been able to get the things she wished for. It lifted the weight off my shoulders.”
Jaxon, 8, Schenectady
I wish to have a treehouse
For his Make-A-Wish Northeast New York wish, Jaxon was looking for a place to hang out.
“I always wanted a treehouse,” he said.
What he got is more like a mansion: A massive backyard treehouse with a wraparound porch, carpeting, furnishings, a loft and all the attached playground features you could conjure.
“It’s beyond our wildest imagination,” wish mom Ashley said.
The treehouse officially opened the day before Jaxon’s 8th birthday. Unlike many wish reveals, this was no surprise: How do you hide something like this in a backyard? Jaxon beamed all day as he was surrounded by family, friends and supporters, who included co-sponsors BBL Construction Services, Curtis Lumber and Delaware Engineering D.P.C.
“The smile on Jaxon’s face says it all,” said John K. Brust, principal of Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. “It makes it worth it.”
Gabe, 13, Altamont
I wish to have a swimming pool
For Gabe, getting a swimming pool for a wish worked out for him and his family in all sorts of ways.
“I really enjoy swimming, because the summer was really hot this year – and I especially [enjoy] swimming with my family,” he said.
“It helped us bond more, because we were usually separated in our rooms. But now we play together a lot more.”
A pool also proved therapeutic to the teen.
“It helped comfort me and made me feel better,” Gabe said. “When I am in the water, I don’t feel as sick when I get off of chemo.”
In talking about his wish, and those whose contributions made it possible, Gabe kept returning to one word: Grateful.
“I was really grateful,” he said. “A lot of kids are worried about what is happening to them, and [a wish] makes them feel better.”
Andrew, 14, Queensbury
I wish to have a custom gaming computer
Andrew has a favorite part of his wish, a new custom gaming computer.
“I am able to actually play more games now than I could play on a console,” he said.
But the gaming setup means more than just being able to play League of Legends, Fortnite and Call of Duty®: War Zone. When he is in his computer chair, in front of his monitor, thoughts of his health woes melt away.
“The best part is when I’m playing games, I don’t have issues,” the 14-year-old said.
Andrew thanks those who donate to Make-A-Wish – “They are very generous’’ – and offers encouragement to wish kids waiting on wishes.
“It will come eventually,” he said. “It’s very worth it.”
NORTH COUNTY
Brandon, 10, Plattsburgh
I wish to have a playset
At Make-A-Wish, there is a saying: Don’t wait for hope – create it. Which brings us to Brandon’s wish.
Brandon’s wish for a backyard playset was initially pushed back by a hospitalization and other factors. The 10-year-old and his family wanted the wish granted as soon as possible, which it was.
Just as winter loomed. In Plattsburgh, no less. And it was still perfect.
“It was exciting,” wish mom Heidi said “He was looking out the window as they were setting it up. He just ran over and started playing. Oh, yeah, it was cold.”
Mom did make Brandon put on his coat and hat first.
Brandon loves the swings, slide, walking on the playset’s bridge and having picnics on its table.
“He got to play with it all summer,” the wish mom said. “It was just one of those things he really likes. He still uses it a lot.”
Heidi said for wish children and families waiting on wishes, remember that “it’s something to look forward to — and do it as soon as you can.”
Del, 11, Saranac
I wish to go to EA Games Headquarters
Wishes can be almost anything, bound more often than not solely by a child’s imagination. But, again, more often than not, families talk about a precious gift that comes with a wish: Time.
Time to be together as a family. To bond. To put worries about an illness aside.
Wish mom Sarah said when her daughter Del had to go to treatments or be rushed to the hospital, that meant a 90-minute one-way trip from their Saranac farm, on top of any hospital stay. “Time got sucked away from us,” she said.
But Del’s wish to visit the EA Games headquarters, which publishes her favorite simulation video game The Sims outside of San Francisco, got some of that family time back.
Del visited EA Games, where she learned the how they construct the simulation game. (They even made her into a character.) But there was even more to the wish, which included trips to the Oakland Zoo, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, a candy factory and more.
“It was Cloud Nine for her,” wish mom Sarah said. “It was a week of no stress.
“It was a ‘yes-yes-yes’ week,” the wish mom said. “It felt like an intense family time week in a good way. We had lost so much time.
“It gave back time that was lost.”
Sarah said she still marvels at the fact that a wish covers every logistical detail for a family, taking the stress out of travel.
“Everything was taken care — even things I couldn’t imagine needing,” she said. “It is magical.”
