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Wishmaking Monthly
A Salute to Our Volunteers
Make-A-Wish Northeast New York celebrated all its volunteers this month, including a select group of individuals presented volunteer recognition awards.
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“There is no Make-A-Wish without volunteers,” said William C. Trigg, III, CEO of Make-A-Wish Northeast New York. “If not for these exceptional individuals, we could not create the hope and joy that come with life-changing wishes.”

Read more below about the award winners: Joleen Bruyette, Laurie Abelson, Maura Fox, Zach Ogden, Andrew Guelcher, Jessica Herzog, Kimberly Klingbeil and Arleen Reyell. Thank you, volunteers!
Calling for Wish Kid Art and ... Bartenders
There is still time to to show off your mixology skills and get in our Cheers for Wishes!

Share your favorite drink as part of our Cheers for Wishes contest! We are calling on our wish kids, their families and the rest of our friends to make a short video with their best mocktail (or cocktail for wish parents!). Do you have the best chocolate milkshake recipe in the world? Or maybe you know the secret to the ultimate Cosmopolitan? Share a video of your recipe with us then ask your friends and family to vote for your drink online! The winning mocktail and cocktail will be made by our Secret Celebrity Bartender on June 10 at 6 p.m. to get everyone ready for the main event at 7 p.m.!

Voting will be open on wishgalaneny.org until May 20. You can submit your video to Jen Cullen at jcullen@neny.wish.org, or email her for more information.

WISH KID ART: For the Hope Shines Brightly Virtual Gala (7 p.m. Thursday, June 10, wishgalaneny.org and Facebook), we want you to be a part of our auction! We invite wish kids of ALL ages to submit an offering for our auction. You are invited to draw, paint, color, sculpt, sew, or offer whatever type of artistic talent you want to share! We’ll include your masterpiece in the auction!

Additionally, we invite wish families that own small businesses, are artisan crafters, or have special opportunities to offer for the auction to reach out. We’d love to include you, too! Contact Director of Development Kirsten Broschinsky at kbro@neny.wish.org or call 801-828-5466 for all the details! 
Walk You Way ... Starting NOW
Here is a fun fact: Did you know that teams that start fundraising for our Walk For Wishes more than 90 days before the event raise up to THREE TIMES more than those that wait?

Register now for the 2021 Walk For Wishes, to be held on Saturday, August 14, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy. We’re working hard to plan a fun and safe in-person event to celebrate wishes and remind us all to not wait for hope, but to create it! This year, we’ll Walk Together AND Wish Together to raise funds to grant more life-changing wishes. 

August may seem like a long way off, but the time to form your team and start fundraising is NOW! Sign up by clicking on the link below.
Wish Fest Returning to Amsterdam in July
The fourth installment of St. Mary’s Hospital Presents Wish Fest, the community/music festival in Amsterdam to benefit Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, will be held July 10 at a new venue, Riverlink Park, and will be headlined by local recording artists Madison VanDenburg and David J.

The Rock Junkies and the X-Squad Water Ski Show Team will also perform.

The festival, which kicks off at 2 p.m. that Saturday, will also feature a variety of food, drink and attractions suitable for all ages. The day will be capped by a fireworks show.

The festival, like all Make-A-Wish Northeast New York-related events, will follow all public health guidelines, including capacity. For updates, go to the Wish Fest Facebook or Instagram pages, or wishfestneny.org.
Mkke-A-Wish a March Madness Winner
Albany Light Truck and Car Repair hosted a March Madness contest last month. The winner received a $1,000 prize for themselves and $1,000 for their favorite non-profit! We’d like to thank their winner, Damion, for choosing Make-A-Wish Northeast New York to receive this generous donation!

And we are so grateful for incredible community partners like Albany Light Truck and Car Repair that help make sure we can grant the wish of every eligible local child battling a critical illness. Here, Service Advisor Elijah Gentile presents the check on behalf of Albany Light Truck and Auto Repair to chapter CEO Bill Trigg. 
A Parade of Wish Memories Starts with a Single Step
Make-A-Wish Northeast New York wishes bring families and even whole communities together.

Do you know of a child like Jacob who may be eligible for a wish? To learn more or make a referral, visit wish.org/refer-a-child, or contact Manager of Medical Referral Outreach Abby Connor at 518-456-9474 or aconnor@neny.wish.org.
The Foundation of the Foundation is Our Volunteers
It takes many people to create and grant the heartfelt wish of a child, from the medical community to donors, vendors ... and our volunteers.

I cannot stress enough: The Make-A-Wish® Foundation could not do what it does — it could not even exist — without the hard work, dedication and passion of our volunteers.

At Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, we are blessed with a legion of volunteers: More than 600 overall, including 170 wish granters. These are the people who interact directly with our wish kids and families to fulfill their wishes. They also assist at events, and in the office. They see wish families off at the airport.

I am fond of saying they are the mortar that hold the edifice called the Make-A-Wish Foundation together, because it is eminently true.

You can read the story above about how we honored volunteers with our 2021 volunteer recognition awards for stellar service. But we honor ALL volunteers each and every day. They make a difference in lives of children and families facing critical illness. Like hope itself, they are essential.

We are grateful for each and every one of them. To all our volunteers, we salute you! 
 

With immense gratitude,

Bill Trigg

CEO, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York