Bill to Say Goodbye
Bill Trigg to Depart as Chapter CEO
After Successor Named
| |
|
William C. Trigg, III, the longest-tenured CEO in the history of Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, will be stepping down from the position following the conclusion of a nationwide search for his replacement, Trigg and the chapter’s Board of Trustees announced.
Trigg has been CEO of Make-A-Wish Northeast New York since February 2006, making him the longest-tenured chief executive since the chapter’s inception in 1987. In his role, he has overseen 60 percent of the 2,000-plus wishes granted in the chapter’s history.
“After 16-plus years, it’s time for fresh perspective from the CEO chair,” Trigg said. “My passion for creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses will never wane. But I believe the time is right for both myself and the chapter to turn the page.”
The Board of Trustees, with assistance from Make-A-Wish® America, will execute a nationwide CEO search, with Trigg remaining in place until his successor assumes the position. No timetable has been set on naming a replacement. After a new CEO takes the helm, Trigg, 67, plans to stay involved with the chapter in a to-be-determined advisory/ambassador capacity.
We will be celebrating Bill and his myriad accomplishments in the weeks and months ahead.
| |
The Run-up to Walk Speeds Up | |
|
We are less than two months away from our Ninth Annual Walk For Wishes on Aug. 13 at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. That may seem a ways off, but every day it gets closer, so the time is NOW to register and help fundraise to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
There are so many reasons to get involved!
The Walk For Wishes Only Works with YOU There! One August morning will make a difference in the lives of more than a dozen local wish kids and their families – especially if YOU help. When you register and form your team, you're helping others learn about the power of a wish through your participation, advocacy and willingness to share WHY you walk. When you fundraise, every dollar that is donated is going directly toward granting the wishes of local kids. That’s the power that YOU have!
As Part of a Local Business or Organization, Forming a Team Helps to Build Yours! There is no better way to build company morale and teamwork than getting your staff actively involved in a great cause. Sign up and have your employees and colleagues join the effort. Want to throw in some friendly competition? Go ahead. Want to get creative in your fundraising? Go ahead. And we’re here to help and support. Best of all, all the proceeds benefit local wish kids – and your business does well by doing good.
It's Free ... and You Get Stuff! Registration for the walk is FREE! And raising just $100 will get you the coveted 2022 Walk T-shirt. That’s asking five friends for $20 (or 20 friends for $5, but that seems like an aggressive amount of social interaction). More? The first 25 team captains to register get a $25 gift card from our Team Sponsor, Dave & Buster's!
The point is – you can DO this, especially when doing so means that local kids will receive the hope that comes from a wish come true.
Let’s Create Hope … every step of the way.
|  | |
Wish Family Picnic Set for July 24 at The Joe | |
 | |
The Wish Family Picnic is back, returning to The Joe on July 24, and we would love to see ALL our wish families there. That means families who have just started their wish journey, families waiting for their wishes to arrive and wish alums, whether they had their wish last month or a decade or two ago. It doesn't matter: You are all part of the Make-A-Wish Northeast New York family.
Join us at the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy for the picnic, then stick around as our friends the Tri-City Valley Cats take on the Gateway Grizzlies. Wish families are invited at no charge. (A wish family includes wish child/alum, two adults and siblings under the age of 18.) Tickets for additional guests are $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under, and include the picnic and the game!
The gates open at 3 p.m., there will be a children's book reading on the field at 3:30 p.m. and the picnic will begin at 4 p.m. To reserved a spot, email neny@neny.wish.org with the wish child's name and number of people coming. Please put Wish Family Picnic in the subject line. Reservations are required; please RSVP by Friday, July 22. If you have questions or would like to purchase additional tickets, please call the office directly at 518-456-9474.
See you at The Joe on July 24!
| Welcome to the Return of the Summer of Fun | |
|
Summer is (almost) here, and the time is right to pick your Make-A-Wish Northeast New York event(s) to participate in.
Our Aug. 13 Walk For Wishes (see above) is a given, but there is so much more. Kinsgway Community (pictured) kicked off the season of golf tournaments that stretches into September. Wish Jump is in July. There are family fun days, a car show and much more awaiting you, all to benefit wish kids and their families!
Just click the link for a full calendar.
| The Story of Esme's' Stories | |
|
Wish mom Hillary said her daughter Esmé’s Make-A-Wish Northeast New York wish is a story of patience, of waiting until her non-verbal daughter could communicate what she truly wanted.
When the now-11-year-old expressed that for her wish she wanted to be the subject of a museum exhibit — and that exhibit would result in her writings being displayed in sculpture, song and even cake art at The Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy — it was clear the wish four years in the making was worth the wait.
“When we started Esmé’s wish journey, her communication with her talker was still very limited, and it was incredibly important that Esmé be given the time and opportunity to articulate her wish,” wish mom Hillary said. “When she wished for an ‘Esmé Museum,’ it was the first times Ez used communication to share a creative vision of how she wanted something to be, and from there, with the support of her communication team, her creativity exploded."
| |
Richards Promoted To Manager of Medical Referral Outreach
| |
|
Margaret Richards, a former intern and volunteer with Make-A-Wish Northeast New York who has served as the chapter’s administrative coordinator since 2021, has been promoted to manager of medical referral outreach.
She replaces Abby Connor. Connor, herself a former chapter intern, departed the chapter after three-plus years for the non-profit Team IMPACT in Boston.
“I am excited to continue my journey with Make-A-Wish,” Richards said. “My passion for serving the wish kids and families throughout our region grows each and every day.”
Richards served as a Development intern for Make-A-Wish Northeast New York in the fall of 2020, and later as a volunteer. In May 2021, she graduated from the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, where she was a Presidential Scholar and honors student.
Since graduation, Richards has served as the chapter’s administrative coordinator, overseeing office operations and myriad other responsibilities.
The chapter is in the process of filling the administrative coordinator position.
| | |
|
Pie Day!
William B. Tecler Elementary School in Amsterdam held its Sixth Annual Pie the Teacher Day on Friday to benefit Make-A-Wish Northeast New York. The students contributed $583 to pie some of their favorite faculty, a fun (and messy) way to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Thanks, students and teachers!
| | |
Start a Child's Journey with a Referral | |
|
It doesn't take a camper to take a child battling a critical illness on a memorable journey. All it takes is a wish.
And a wish can start with you, and a referral.
Do you know of a child like Gino who may be eligible for a wish? If so, click on the link below, or contact Manager of Medical Referral Outreach Margaret Richards at mrichards@neny.wish.org or 518-456-9474.
| |
A Wish Like No Other, Yet ... | |
|
Seeing Esmé’s museum wish at The Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy earlier this month crystallized for me the idea that all wishes, even one as wholly unique as this one, are borne of a child’s imagination, and can be transformative not only for that child, but entire communities.
In other words: Yes, Esmé’s wish was like no other — and yet representative of all wishes.
Born with intractable epilepsy and a genetic gene mutation that impact her ability to speak, Esmé uses eye gaze technology to write stories. These short stories start out recounting her true adventures, like going on a surfboard and dogsledding, then turn into fantasies.
Her parents waited for her to be able to communicate her wish — and when she finally said “Esmé museum,” the idea for what would become Esmé’s Stories: A Magical Journey began to take shape. Under the expert direction of Belinda Colon, the center’s curator of exhibitions and public art, Esmé’s stories were transformed by local artists into sculpture, a song by our friends Jocelyn and Chris – even an ornate cake!
To see the artists and general community moved by the art inspired by Esmé’s writings was one of the most vivid displays imaginable of the power of a wish.
But all wishes are driven by a child’s imagination, whether they be for a trip to Walt Disney World® Resort, a pop-up camper, a shopping spree or whatever else they can conjure. The vividness of Esmé’s inspiration drove that point home.
This dream-like exhibit reminded me of all the events that will be held this summer to benefit the chapter; events making possible future wishes that, if not exactly like Esmé’s, will be borne out of imagination and have impact far and wide. These events have already begun, and will really kick off in earnest in the weeks ahead, from golf tournaments to Wish Jump and, of course, our Walk For Wishes on Aug. 13.
We can’t wait to see what wishes the imagination of our wish kids will craft next.
With immense gratitude,
Bill Trigg
CEO, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York
| | | | |
