Last week, well, I guess two weeks ago now (darn me for too much working and not enough posting), I had the opportunity to photograph a Make A Wish fundraiser event. Can I first just say that Make A Wish is the best non-profit. I mean there are a lot of great organizations, but I love that Make A Wish focuses on giving the opportunity for kids to just live, to be a regular kid, and to forget about any medical conditions for a while.
During the event, Make A Wish announced that Geanna (pictured second from the right below) and her family would be given the opportunity to go on a trip to Hershey Park in Hershey, PA. Can't you just imagine all that chocolate?!? It's going to be a-mazing!
What an amazing girl and an incredibly strong and supportive family. Her dad is in the back scoping out the candy-YUMMY!
Deb Knapp is one of the anchors for local news stations. She is very active with the Make A Wish foundation in Oregon and was there to speak and show her support.
The man below was one of my favorite speakers at the event. His son was the first kid in Oregon to get his wish granted! While he would have much preferred his son to choose going to Hawaii with the family (admittedly so), his son decided he wanted to meet Erik Estrada from the hit television show CHiPS. (insert audience giggle).
The next speaker had an amazing story, as well. She is a cancer survivor (twice) and she was granted a wish when she was younger. She wished for a horse. She loved and rode her horse and ended up surviving cancer. All grown up, she decided to hike from one end of Spain to the other. On her trip, she met her (now) husband, and they recently had a beautiful baby. In her speech she said she holds Make A Wish personably responsible for giving her the strength to push past her disease and survive. It's incredible what a few days of freedom (i.e. being able to ride your new horse) can do for the soul.
Also, remember my good friend Andrew? I took photos of him and his wife when they were pregnant and then again when baby Gracie was born. His sister was a Make-A-Wish kid. She actually did wish for a trip to Hawaii for their family. Unfortunately, his sister passed away a few years back, but Andrew still donates so much time and resources to the organization. He even planned and raised enough money this year to pass on a wish to another wish kid. It is truly astounding how community members contribute to this organization!
Below is Geanna up on stage when they announced her wish was being granted. You can see her excitement through her lit up face. Such a sweet girl!
A celebratory chocolate vase.
Here's some behind the scenes action of the staff hard at work. I went to school with Jessica (far left). :)
At the end of the event, they brought many of the people up on stage who are actively involved in helping these wishes come true. Alaskan Airlines has played a huge part in flying families all over the country.
This group of people who attended the event came from all over the country. They are responsible for starting the entire Make a Wish organization by granting the first wish in Arizona.
And that's about it. It was a great event. It went incredibly smooth and I had such a great time hearing the stories and meeting everyone involved. Thanks again Make A Wish. Keep up the good work.
Until next time...
