The highlight from the Houston meeting was surprising Angie French as our 2023 Volunteer of the Year! Angie was crowned by Marilyn Uptmor, winner of the 2021 award.  Wish alum Kayliah (or “Kay Kay”) joined us to share the impact of her wish to go see Mickey Mouse at Disney World.  Then, she helped announce Angie as the award winner.

We also celebrated 15 incredible volunteers for earning the prestigious Tommy Austin Award this year!  This award is given to volunteers who have granted 50 wishes or raised $100,000 for Make-A-Wish in their lifetime and is personally presented by Tommy.  Many of them were at the event, and each of them had the opportunity to visit with Tommy and receive their award at previous meetings in Houston and New Orleans.

Lastly, we highlighted volunteers who recently earned their apprentice wish wand and celebrated several milestone anniversaries, as well as two of our corporate Wish Makers: Mike LaPoint (Millers LaPoint LLC) and Kevin Salmon (CSS Projects). Both are leading members of our Builders of Hope committee, which has granted more than a dozen wishes and made an impact to Make-A-Wish of more than $400,000.