August 2014

NATIONAL BOARD
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Fall Newsletter | August 2014
The Make-A-Wish Car is Winning Races, Making Pit Stops and Granting Wishes
The Terry Chandler-sponsored Funny Car is winning on and off the race track.
Tommy Johnson, Jr. and
Make-A-Wish Team win Bristol
Sunday, June 15. Bristol, Tenn. The NHRA Thunder
Valley Nationals. It’s race day. With the Make-A-Wish
Funny Car, Tommy Johnson, Jr. and his Terry Chandlersponsored team earned their first win together and surely
made a lot of wishes come true.
When Chandler opted to fund the fourth DSR Dodge
Charger R/T Funny Car team at DSR, she knew she
wanted to hire Johnson to drive. This 10th event title of
Johnson’s career enabled him to jump four spots – to
third place – in the Mello Yello standings.
“There’s a lot of people I have to thank including
everyone in the pits, but I have to thank Don Schumacher
and Terry Chandler for the opportunity to drive the car,”
Johnson said. “And it makes it even better to associate
with Make-A-Wish and raise awareness for them. It’s just
great. We just let everyone know what great things they
do for these kids that are fighting life-threatening illnesses.
To see them smile when they’re going through tough
things warms my heart, and now we got them a win!”
Want to go to the races? Contact Suzie Allen at
suzieallen1@me.com for a copy of the full summer
race schedule.
Special New Jersey Trip
for Make-A-Wish Team
Recently, the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T team has
been recognized at special events and tournaments for
its performance.
On June 4, the team paid a visit to New Jersey’s Monroe
Township, about 30 minutes from the Englishtown racetrack.
The stopover gave New Jersey chapter president and chief
executive Thomas P. Weatherall an opportunity to thank
sponsor Terry Chandler for her support of Make-A-Wish,
which does not contribute any money to the race team.
Chandler, along with team owner Don Schumacher and
several members of the DSR organization, were enthralled
by the Samuel and Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place,
which resembles a castle and serves as a meeting place
for wish kids and their families.
Earlier this year, at the Summernationals at Englishtown,
the Make-A-Wish team was honored with its first NHRA
Wally trophy of the season when it was selected as the
Best Appearing Crew.
$35,000 for 35 Years
The members of the National Board Alumni Association
have watched Make-A-Wish grow from its very first wish to
our record wish-granting success last year – 14,003 wishes!
And now, we have the opportunity to do even more.
In honor of the 35th anniversary of Make-A-Wish, an
online fundraiser was created to help raise $35,000.
These funds will be used not only to grant the wishes
of several wish kids, but also to host those kids at the
Disneyland celebration in October 2015. With $24,500
already raised, we are well on our way!
Hats off to our alumni who have already made a donation to
this campaign and are now listed on our Honor Roll of Donors:
Suzie Allen
Tommy Austin
Lorna Bishop
Pat Clemency
Steve Cohen
Cathy Davis
Linda Kaplan
Gil Rudolph
Jeff Spiegel
Dick Van Klaveren
As we join forces with the National Board of Directors,
the national staff and our volunteers and donors, we are
excited to elevate the Board Alumni role to the next level.
Please consider joining your fellow alumni in creating a
memorable celebration for all of us and the wish kids.
You can visit wish.org/NBAA35 to track our progress, see
the Honor Roll of Donors and make your gift.
Make a Legacy Gift
Every year, more than 1 trillion air miles are lost because they
are often overlooked during estate planning. These lost miles
could take a kid to the site of their ultimate wish and provide
a family with a lifetime of memories. By adding one simple
sentence to your will, any air miles that you have
accumulated with the airlines in our program can be
donated to Make-A-Wish. And when you donate, the miles
will never expire.
Let us know if you decide to contribute – we will be happy to
help and hope to track alumni participation in this program.
Sample Frequent Flyer Mileage Bequest Language
If donating miles to Make-A-Wish America to be distributed to
chapters for nationwide use:
“I give the balance of my (Delta Airlines or United Airlines)
frequent flyer miles, account # _______________________ to
the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, 4742 North 24th
St., Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85016, tax ID 86-0481941, to be
used or disposed of as its board of directors deems appropriate
in its sole discretion.”
If you’d like to designate your local Make-A-Wish chapter:
“I give the balance of my (Delta Airlines or United Airlines)
frequent flyer miles, account # ______________________ to the
Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, 4742 North 24th St.,
Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85016, tax ID 86-0481941, to grant
the wishes of children served by Make-A-Wish (Chapter).”
A Surprise Donation
The NBAA Wishes in Flight campaign received quite
a boost from one of our newest alumni members,
Liz Ann Sonders.
In February 2013, Liz Ann, a member of the National Board
at the time, hosted a cultivation event at her home in Naples,
Fla. Among her guests were her friends, Roch and Carol
Hillenbrand, who, by the end of the evening, made a most
generous donation of 1.25 million airline miles to Make-A-Wish.
Then, just this spring, Mr. Hillenbrand sponsored a financial
seminar at Boston College and invited Liz Ann, chief investment
strategist at Charles Schwab, to speak at the conference. As
a thank you, Mr. Hillenbrand sent another generous gift of
750,000 airline miles to Make-a-Wish! Liz Ann has designated
these miles to the Connecticut chapter, where she is now a
member of the Board of Directors.
You, too, can bring in miles that will change a child’s life. Just
send out the Friends and Family note to your circle of friends,
inviting them to join you in supporting the Wishes in Flight
campaign. Need a copy of the Friends and Family note?
Contact Jeff Spiegel at JTSCPA@gmail.com.
NBAA Mini Reunion
NBAA Alumni News
On April 25 and 26, 18 NBAA members and their
spouses came together for the NBAA meeting in Boston,
Mass. As David Williams introduced the alumni during
the board dinner, we realized that there was alumni
representation from each decade of our history.
Quite impressive!
James E. “Jim” Gordon is now president
and chair of the Board of Directors at The
Mediation Center.
Pat Clemency1984-88
Joan Mazak1984-88
Jane and Chris Martens1985-91
Dennis Covelli1990-95
Dr. Paul Berkner1992-97
Jeff and Geryl Spiegel1992-97
David Mulvihill1993-98
Suzanne Sutter2001-05
Suzie and Ned Allen2003-09
Larry Byar2004-10
John Round2004-10
Bob Paglia2006-12
Liz Ann Sonders2007-13
Nicole Parent & Phil Haughey2012-13
That weekend, several alumni met to receive updates on
the three major initiatives being pursued in celebration of
the 35th anniversary of Make-A-Wish and brainstormed
ways to promote and reach our goals. It was a successful
endeavor and one we hope to duplicate in the future!
We are always eager to hear your news.
Travel adventures, family accomplishments,
career moves, etc. Drop us a line and share your
experiences with your fellow alumni.
Please contact Mary Jane Irwin at the National
Office at mirwin@wish.org or Suzie Allen at
suzieallen1@me.com.
Photos below from left to right:
Nicole Haughey, Liz Ann Sonders and DeborahThompson
Bob Pagila, John and Debra Round and Martha Williams
Joan Mazak, Jane Martens, Dr. Paul Berkner and Jeff Spiegel
NBAA Mini Reunion Guests
Dennis Covelli, Larry Byar and John Round
Dr. Paul Berkner surrounded by Jane Martens, Pat Clemency,
Joan Mazak, David Mulvihill and Jeff Speigel