I feel very passionate about volunteering. I feel so blessed in this life and want to help others in any way that I can. I started becoming interested in volunteering when I was younger through my church at the time. I am not always good about keeping up with it, but last year, my family made a resolution that we would try to start volunteering as a family somewhere once a month. You can read more about the places we have tried in my post if that is something you are looking for as well.
Since helping others is so important to me, I was ecstatic and honored to be invited to the Make-A-Wish Gala to cover the event on March 9th.
Make-A-Wish® creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. They are on a quest to bring every eligible child’s wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. There are currently nearly 230 children in Southern Ohio who are awaiting their wish. If this is something that speaks to you, visit their website for more details on how to get engaged with their chapter, or you can follow them on social media @makeawishohkyin. This is a great opportunity for families to volunteer and get involved, and also for families of children with critical illnesses to see what Make-A-Wish is all about.
If you would like to donate to the Chapter or want to learn more about it, the upcoming Gala would be a great way to get started. You can purchase individual tickets, all they way up to an entire table. The heartfelt experience of a local wish kid coupled with ongoing independent research from a pediatric specialist, Dr. Patel, illustrating the impact of wishes on kids battling critical illnesses will be the focus of the 2018 Make-A-Wish® Ohio Kentucky & Indiana BIG Wish®Gala. An event fundraising goal of $260,000 has been set to help make wishes come true for at least 45 local kids battling critical illnesses in Southern Ohio.
One of the reasons Dr. Patel has since joined the Make-A-Wish America Advisory Board is to increase medical provider awareness of the benefits of a granted wish on eligible kids. Currently, only one out of every two eligible kids experience a wish. When I read this, my heart sank. I could not imagine having a sick child and if I did, I would hope there was enough funding for my sick child to get their wish.
The Gala is Friday, March 9th at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati. Cocktails start at 6 p.m. and the program starts at 7:30 p.m. I am most excited to hear from the keynote speaker. The mother of Cincinnati wish kid Adrian, who wished to visit Hawaii and then was so moved by his experience that he had the chance to be CEO of Make-A-Wish for a day. I mean, can you imagine, the impact this has on these young people. You just never know how such a grand gesture will change these kids worlds.
Additional event details, tickets to the Gala and sponsorship information is on their website. The purpose of this Gala is to raise the funds needed to fulfill the wishes of local kids battling critical illnesses. If you can’t make it, you can always donate to your local chapter. I know I have always felt a calling to help others, and although we can’t do it all, we can find the things that tug at our heart-strings and answer that calling. If this speaks to you, check out the website to see how you can get involved. If your family has been touched by Make-A-Wish, I would love to hear your story and share it with my community.
I will be sharing pics throughout the night, along with tidbits of info I learn. I will also be writing a recap post about more ways to get involved with this amazing organization.
A church I use to go to had such an awesome motto, “Small Things Done with Great Love Will Change the World”. We don’t have to do it all and we can’t do it all. BUT don’t ever think you can’t make a difference. Start with something small… I think you would be surprised at the impact you can truly make on another human :) If you have any questions please let me know. I will try to get it answered for you. Again, if you have been impacted by this organization, please email me your story at jennie@motherhoodsupport.com. Thank you!
This is a sponsored post. I was given 2 tickets to the event to share my experience with you. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks for reading!
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