Are you ready to create some joy, have some fun and benefit the wish kids and families served by Make-A-Wish Northeast New York?

Then the time is now: The Make-A-Wish Northeast New York Spark Joy Gala will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 26 at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Springs, and there are different ways you can participate in person and remotely:

ATTEND GALA

There are still a limited number of tickets to the Gala, whose seating is limited to 300 and requires proof of vaccination for entrance. To purchase tickets, please visit wishgalaneny.org.

SHIELD RAFFLE

If you have not heard, we are raffling off a one-of-a-kind Marvel shield autographed by MCU stars Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie and Wyatt Russell, donated to the chapter by Stan. We will be selling tickets until March 25, and at the Gala.

The raffle winner will also receive a one-on-one 45-minute Zoom call with Sebastian Stan himself!

New York prohibits online raffle sales, so to purchase tickets you must call 518-456-9474 or visit our office at 3 Washington Square, Albany, NY, Monday-Friday during normal business hours. (You must be 18 or older to enter.) The winning ticket will be pulled at the Gala; you do NOT have to be present to win.

SILENT AUCTION

The Gala's silent auction, featuring regional vacations, golf and other outings, gift packages, wish kid and other art, sports memorabilia and more, is open to all, including those not attending the Gala. The auction goes live TODAY on wishgalaneny.org. Check back frequently as items are added.

DONATE

Can't attend but still would like to help our mission of creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses? Just go to – wait for it – wishgalaneny.org.

For National Child Life Specialist and Social Work Month, and National Doctors Day (March 30), Make-A-Wish Northeast New York honors all the care providers who work with our wish kids and countless others. These frontline essential workers are also the ones who often refer children to Make-A-Wish, taking the necessary first step in providing a life-changing wish.

Do you know of a child who may be eligible for a wish? If so, visit wish.org/refer-a-child, or contact Manager of Medical Referral Outreach Abby Connor at aconnor@neny.wish.org or 518-456-9474.

In October 2019, 3-year-old Make-A-Wish Northeast New York wish kid Gabe learned he was going to Walt Disney World ... but his older brother Caleb seemed more excited.

But that wish never happened, thanks to the pandemic.

Fast forward to recently, when now-6-year-old Gabe discovered at our Workshop of Wishes his Disney wish is back on, and he and his family would be heading to the Magic Kingdom soon. And, yes, it was Gabe's turn to be excited! (And, yes, they had a blast in Orlando.)

At our upcoming Spark Joy Gala, we are finally able to get back together again in person to celebrate our wonderful mission of creating life-changing wishes for local children with critical illnesses!

In spite of the challenges we’ve encountered during the past 24 months through the COVID pandemic, we have achieved several significant milestones. These include: the completion and the opening of our Workshop of Wishes; the granting of our 2,000^th wish; the establishment of a $500,000 wish endowment in memory of a dear benefactor, Dr. J. Peter McPartlon; the activation of C.J. Kolbe Memorial Wish Endowment by his family to grant a wish a year in perpetuity, and the granting of our fifth-ever “I Want to Give Back” wish by Wish Ambassador Maria Lutz.

We will also celebrate the stories of wish ambassadors Maria, Cheyenne, Finn and Sofia. What a privilege it will be to meet these young people and their families, to see and hear firsthand how their wishes changed their lives, and to realize what it means for us as donors, wish granters, Trustees and other volunteers to create hope through the wish experience. Being together in person to acknowledge the gifts of our time, talent and treasure, which have resulted in our Northeast New York chapter granting more than 2,000 wishes for children with critical illnesses throughout the 15 counties we serve, is also a gift in itself.

On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees and our professional team, we thank you for your partnership with us to make a real and compelling difference in the lives of these families, our communities, and each other. THANK YOU for being with us to celebrate in person once again and together what it means to “share the power of a wish_®.”

With immense gratitude,

Bill Trigg

CEO, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York