Wishline Newsletter Summer 2013 - Make-A

WISHLINE
Volume 29, No. 1
Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida
Nautical 9,000 th wish
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE JOSE WEJEBE SPANISH FLY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida partnered with The Jose Wejebe Spanish Fly Memorial Foundation to
grant the 9,000th wish in chapter history –with 12-year-old Michael’s wish to go deep sea fishing.
The Keys community contributed to ensure that his 5-day vacation was a first rate experience and great
distraction from his battle with a heart condition.
Michael received the VIP treatment at World Wide Sportsman where he shopped for fishing and tackling
gear. He was a true fisherman from head to toe, out fishing on the “Bad Habit” for three days of his trip.
Michael said the captains were amazing and he loved watching the waves from the bridge.
He was overjoyed to catch fish and take them to a restaurant for the chef to prepare them. “My cooked
tuna was perfect,” Michael said. “The fresh out of the ocean tuna was the best seafood I have ever eaten. I
wanted more.”
While not at sea, Fort Pierce native Michael and his family took advantage of their beautiful home away
from home, kayaking, playing volleyball and enjoying the private beach.
“I used to go to the Fort Pierce Jetty and watch the boats go out wondering what it would be like to do
that someday and now I have,” Michael said. “It was the best experience I have ever had.”
Wish Granters: Carol Bannister & Janet Ingraham
Referred by Dr. Patricia Sherron, his physician
Wish granted in honor of the Jose Wejebe Spanish Fly Memorial Foundation
Special thanks to Jose Wejebe Spanish Fly Memorial Foundation President Krissy Wejebe and Board Member Ken
Davis, Captain Scott Keller and Captain Duane Dozer
CONTACT INFORMATION
Fort Lauderdale Office
4491 South State Road 7, Suite 201
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314
Ph: 954.967.WISH (9474)
Fax: 954.967.2468
e-mail: info@sfla.wish.org
West Coast Office
3655 Bonita Beach Road, Suite 3
Bonita Springs, FL 34134
Ph: 239.992.WISH (9474)
Fax: 239.992.2833
e-mail: swfl@sfla.wish.org
Web Site: www.sfla.wish.org
Norman Wedderburn
President/CEO
nwedderburn@sflawish.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael Ortega, Chairman,
Ortega Juneau Construction Company
Todd Linden, Chair-Elect,
Advenir, Inc.
Taylor Gang, Chair-Elect Designate,
Evensky & Katz
Dulce Stephens, Treasurer
Alex Adams, Northern Trust
Michael Appleton, Credit Suisse
George Baccash, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP
Greg Baty, Hamilton Lane
Lisa Bauer, Royal Caribbean International
Sheila Cesarano, Shutts & Bowen LLP
Ben Eisenberg, Transwesterm
Jaime Elias, Trivest Partners
Thomas Falciglia, Community Volunteer
Amy Federman, Bacardi-Martini, Inc.
Shaheewa Gelin, U.S. Department of
Homeland Security
L. Scott Helms, IDI
Jill Johns, Century 21 Hansen Realty
Shareef Malnik, The Forge
Marie McKenzie, Carnival Corporation
Sandy Medel, MEDNAX
Frederick V. Miller, MD,MBA,
MALSOM Enterprises, LLC
Ryan Munder, Rednum Capital Partners LLC
Antonio Peña, Greenberg Traurig
Bob Press, TCA Fund Management Group
Brett Rose, Immediate Past Chair,
United National Consumer Suppliers, Inc.
Greg Salsburg, STIR-Communications
Jodi Siravo, Norwegian Cruise Line
Angela Valdes, Equity One, Inc.
Richard Weissman, The Learning Experience
Jerome Wolf, Duane Morris LLP
A lover of the outdoors, 4-year-old Frank,
who suffers from Dravet Syndrome, wanted
to have an outdoor play area at his Miami
home. His wish came true and he couldn’t
believe his eyes. His brand new outdoor
playground came complete with its own
swings and slides that will certainly keep
him busy. Frank’s mom said that he loves
to play outside so this was the perfect
wish for him. “The first toy he ran to was
the swings,” she said. “He loves them.”
To keep Frank cool even in the hot South
Florida sun, there are misting fans and big
sun shades. He gets sad when it is raining outside because then he
cannot enjoy himself on the newest addition to his house. “Frank
has been playing on the swing set ever since it was delivered,” his
mom said. “He never wants to get off.”
Wish Granters: Teresita Mestre & Tessie Mestre
Referred by Danielle Martinez, his mother
Wish adopted by James Ferraro, Ferraro Family Foundation
Eleven-year-old Autumn from
Parkland loves watching television
and listening to music. She went on
an exciting trip with her family to
meet singer Taylor Swift. Autumn,
who suffers from a life-threatening
form of pulmonary disease, caught up
with the singer during her Red tour
in New Jersey. After singing along
during Taylor’s concert, Autumn
was first in line for the meet and greet. She was speechless when it
came time to meet her favorite artist. Taylor signed autographs after
chatting with Autumn. The experience was even better than she
imagined. During their free time, they also went to dinner and a show
at Medieval Times and saw “The Lion King” on Broadway.
Wish Granters: Jacqueline Platt & Mary Ann Platt
Referred by Marina DiPianta, her nurse
Wish adopted by Bob Press, TCA Fund Management Group
If you know of a child with a life-threatening medical condition
who would love to experience a wish come true,
call Make-A-Wish Southern Florida at 888.773.9474
DONATE YOUR AIRLINE MILES
We recognize and thank Give Kids
the World Village for helping
make wishes come true.
CONNECT WITH US ONLINE!
Please help us grant wishes involving airline travel. Donate your unused
airline miles today! For more information, visit
www.sfla.wish.org.
Social networking is a wonderful platform for keeping in touch with
us. You can get updates on wishes, special events and more by
connecting with us on these social media sites.
Studying French in school,
10-year-old Karim wished
to visit Paris to practice
his French and tour the
city. He was most excited
about seeing the Eiffel
Tower at night. Karim,
who is battling cancer,
was also eager to see the
beautiful art on display
at the Louvre museum.
Karim and his family made
the journey to France for
the trip of a lifetime. They spent their first full day
in Paris touring the Palace of Versailles learning
about French history. A shining moment for Karim
was when he visited the Eiffel Tower at night and
saw it beautifully illuminated. He was also able to
visit the Louvre with a guided tour. Before bidding
adieu, Karim also took a double-decker bus tour.
Wish Granters: Claudia Bustamante & Marta
Bustamante
Referred by Alicia Rubel, social worker
Wish adopted by Brenda Yester
Seven-year-old Stephanie
dreamed of going swimming
with dolphins. Traveling with
her family to the Atlantis
Resort in the Bahamas was
the ultimate escape from her
battle with a hematologic
disorder. They packed their
bathing suits and left Miramar
for their exciting trip. On
her flight to the Bahamas,
Stephanie met the pilot and
explored the cockpit. Once
there, she explored the Atlantis Resort, playing in
the water park and making full use of the slides
and water activities. Stephanie and her family
interacted up-close with bottlenose dolphins in
Dolphin Cay. Her mother said you could see the
happiness on her face when she was with the
dolphins. At the end of her trip, Stephanie told her
mom that she wanted to live in Atlantis!
Wish Granters: Sue Pikus & Michael Stern
Referred by Tameka Williams, her mother
Wish adopted by Woodbury & Santiago, P.A.
Pompano Beach teen Marjorie
needed a place to relax and
recuperate. The 15-year-old
who is battling leukemia
wished to have a bedroom
makeover. With purple as
her favorite color, it was only
appropriate to have shades
of purple as the color scheme
for her new room. Marjorie’s
favorite part of her room is her
bed. She wanted something
comfy that would also provide
support for her back and that
is exactly what she received. The biggest difference
between her old room and new room is that now
she has space. Everything is so organized she can
enjoy her private haven. On her walls, Marjorie has
this quote to remind her to keep fighting: “We don’t
know how strong we are until being strong is the
only choice.”
Wish Granters: Jacqueline Platt & Mary Ann Platt
Referred by Heather Mahony, her child life specialist
Wish adopted by Harvey & Roberta Chaplin
To 4-year-old
Jerome, a trip
to Walt Disney
World® to catch up
with his favorite
characters was the
ideal wish. The
Margate boy spent
a week exploring
the different parks in Orlando with his family. This
trip was the perfect way for Jerome, who suffers
from a brain tumor, to take some time to relax.
Each day was better than the previous with new
parks and rides to enjoy. He was a VIP at each
park, skipping all the lines for the rides. After each
day’s adventure, Jerome and his family returned to
their villa at Give Kids The World Village, a resort
reserved solely for wish families with fabulous
amenities around every corner. He enjoyed
afternoons horseback riding and endless sundaes at
the ice cream palace.
Wish Granters: Dan Kaufman & Yanet Platt
Referred by Elisa Jones, his child life specialist
Wish adopted by Bob Press, TCA Fund Management
Group
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical
conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
Visit us on the web at www.sfla.wish.org
AN AFTERNOON WITH SELENA
A trip to Los Angeles was in order to make 11-year-old Hailey’s
wish to meet actress Selena Gomez come true. As a huge fan of her
show “Wizards of Waverly Place,” she was super excited to have the
opportunity to meet the star up close and personal.
Once in California, Hailey and her family went to Dave & Buster’s
for her special moment. They were directed to a private dining
room for a sumptuous buffet lunch prior to Selena’s arrival. Now
for the best part of the day; once lunch was underway, Hailey
had her opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with Selena.
Selena really engaged Hailey personally and spent time with her
answering questions and taking lots of pictures.
After lunch, there was unlimited video game play at Dave & Buster’s and Selena joined the fun playing
games with everyone. To remember this amazing day, Hailey went home with autographs, a goodie bag
filled with lots of fun gifts and endless memories.
It was “phenomenal” that Selena related to this starstruck pre-teen
on a personal level. According to Hailey’s mother, “It was just like
having plans with a girlfriend.”
Wish Granters: Casie Dayton & Mary Thomas
Referred by Barbara Bols, her mother
Wish adopted by Too Jay’s Gourmet Deli
NON-PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL
PERMIT NO. 5330
MAKE-A-WISH® SOUTHERN FLORIDA
4491 South State Road 7, Suite 201
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314