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Wishmaking Monthly

The Ripples of Wish


Like a stone tossed in water, a wish doesn’t just make a splash. It ripples – sometimes for years on end, touching lives in unexpected ways.


Matthew Rosato was 8 when he was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. Around his 10th birthday, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York granted his wish to travel to the Great Wolf Lodge Water Park in Pennsylvania.


“As Matthew splashed in that water from morning ’til nightfall, with nothing but light in his eyes and a perpetual giggle, I watched in awe," dad Steve Rosato recalled.


That wish was more than a decade ago. But that wish touches the lives of other wish families, and one in particular, to this very day. Read more to learn why. 

Read Story

'We Got a Camper!'


Amelia knew she was going to Albany Med this December Thursday for treatment. What the Catskill 6-year-old didn’t know was her family was stopping first at Diederich's RV Mart for her wish reveal – and her new camper!


Even her parents didn’t realize beforehand that the Slaters at Diederich's had worked with vendors and local businesspeople to throw in a whole host of extras.


Amelia beamed – “We got a camper!” – as her 2-year-old sister Kimber fished through all the goodies inside (including Disney fishing poles). Amelia’s 4-year-old sister Hayden said, “Best day ever!” over and over.

Read Story

Adopt-A-Wish Campaign Continues at Select Schools, Businesses

Our blue tables are gone from the malls, but the Make-A-Wish Northeast New York Adopt-A-Wish Holiday Campaign continues at select schools and businesses, and online at adoptawishneny.org.


One example: Congrats and thank you to Dorothy Nolan Elementary School in Saratoga Springs for raising more than $1,000!!! You are all stars!

Thank you, Ray! After three-plus years we are saying goodbye to our passionate and indefatigable manager of volunteer engagement, Ray Gawlak. Ray, the founder of the wildly successful community music festival Wish Fest, will remain involved with the chapter as a volunteer.



YOU GOT QUESTIONS? WE HAVE ANSWERS! Ever wonder what the cost is of an average wish? Or when the chapter was founded? How about why we send out two wish granters on wishes?


All the answers and more can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions on our website. Learn more about Make-A-Wish Northeast New York.

FAQs

Farthest Wish Begins with a Simple Step


Emma's Hawaii wish did not start at the airport, or even at her joyous Make-A-Wish Northeast New York wish reveal. It started with a referral.


Do you know of a child who may be eligible for a wish? Click the link below, or contact Make-A-Wish Northeast New York Manager of Medical Referral Outreach Abby Connor at 518-456-9474 or aconnor@neny.wish.org.

Refer a Child

The 'Ripple Effect' is There for All to See

There is no better feeling than seeing joy wash over a child as they learn they are receiving their wish.


But if you can turn your eyes away, you can see that joy impacting so many others, from family to friends and even caring strangers who have never met the child.


And if you stick around long enough, years even, you can see that wish still impacting more wish kids, more families, more lives.


At Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, we call that the Ripple Effect. And this issue of Wishmaking Monthly highlights two wishes — one recent, one more than a decade old — that perfectly capture how a single wish can positively affect so many lives.


Amelia’s wish for a camper certainly benefits her and her family: Together, they can create a lifetime of memories. But by soliciting additional donations for goods and services from community businesses and vendors, Diederich’s RV Mart turned the wish into something more.


So many people donated to, and became invested in, Amelia’s wish that a large swatch of Greene County was impacted by that camper, not just the family. In fact, the Facebook gallery after her wish reveal is the most popular social media post in the chapter’s history!


Then there’s Matthew’s wish, going on 12 years ago, to visit a Pennsylvania water park. That prompted his dad, Steve to get his company, Saratoga Olive Oil, involved in our Adopt-A-Wish Holiday Campaign. That involvement moved one of the company’s vendors to reach out to the owners to thank them: His child, Isabella, is one of our ambassadors.


Both wish families were positively affected by their wishes. Both those wishes prompted the wish families to help impact others today.


That is the Ripple Effect. A wish is never just a wish, a wish child is never the sole beneficiary, and the joy created is never just a brief burst of happiness. You can see it. Just look at a wish child. Then look at everyone around them.


With immense gratitude,



Bill Trigg


CEO, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York

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Make-A-Wish Northeast New York


3 Washington Square

Albany, NY 12205

(518) 456-9474



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