This week Danielle heads south to Nashville to visit the Grand Ole Opry. This was such an exciting trip to plan and I had many wonderful sponsors help to make her wish fabulous.

Danielle’s exciting wish includes accommodations at the wonderful Lowes Vanderbilt Hotel, a trip to the Nashville Zoo and even tickets to the Gaylord Opryland Resort to go see “A Country Christmas,” “ICE!” (featuring “A Charlie Brown Christmas”) and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes! Believe it or not, this is not all Danielle will be doing.

In addition to everything else, Danielle and her family will enjoy a lunch cruise on the General Jackson Showboat along with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame and, last but not least, they will head over to the Ryman Auditorium where they will watch Charlie Daniels perform!!!

I hope you and your family have a “Grand Ole” time in Nashville, Danielle!!!

Vanessa
Wish Coordinator

Living here in Florida you get a little used to the “sunny” weather. Lately, though it’s nearing the middle of November, the weather has maintained that “summery” feel. This distresses me to no end because, though I’m not a fan of cold weather, I would like to feel some crisp fall breezes to at least remind me that “The Season” is nearing.

While these thoughts are swimming (in trunks and sunglasses, no less) in distinctly warm pools at the back of my mind, I am talking to Wish Families who have come down from chilly places like Michigan to enjoy all the theme parks to be had in this state for their kids’ wishes. In our talks, they are constantly telling me how much they LOVE the weather here and how wonderful it was to wear shorts in November. A few families will even mention that they wish they could have brought the “nice Florida weather” back with them to their home states. I wish they had, too. I am very glad that the weather was a great break for them to enjoy their wish trips, but I can still wish for some semblance of fall weather before it freezes, can’t I?

Alicia
Editorial Department

What does that word mean to you? One of the meanings of the word ‘Hero’ refers to “characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice.” I’m sure not many of us can call ourselves a ‘hero’.

Our wish children face life challenging situations each and every day. It is remarkable to see the overwhelming courage and will these precious ‘little people’ have.

I want to let all our wish children know how much we admire and respect what they go through. To everyone here at Kids Wish Network our wish kids are Our HEROES!

Kathleen
Office and Personnel Administrator

Veterans Day is a day to remember all who have fought to keep our country safe and free. For me, this is a very special day because my mother and father-in-law are Vets and I have several family members in the military currently serving overseas.

In trying to fulfill our kid’s wishes, I have the pleasure of calling civic organizations like the VFW and the American Legions. They are dedicated to helping our Veterans but they also help where needed in their hometowns. A member of the VFW recently told me they rarely turn down a person or group in need.

I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has served or is currently serving in the military. Not just because you protect our country, but because you have answered our call for help in funding many of our children’s wishes! Enjoy your day tomorrow, Veterans! You really do deserve it!

Megan
Development Department

Things are starting to get a little hectic around here. Our big Holiday of Hope party with Jakks Pacific and CDI is less than one month away. I can see a lot of people scrambling around trying to secure last minute details. I know that everyone is working hard to make this party something special for these kids at Shriners in Philadelphia.

I feel good that I was able to contribute something to the event. I was able to get photography and videography donated for the event. I am also in charge of pre and post press for the party. The donors for this event have been wonderful. We have secured so many wonderful things for the kids, and we hope that they have an awesome time.

The party is December 5. Stick around and check back for details and hopefully some great pictures after the event!

Elizabeth
Wish Department

The Distribution Department has had an incredibly super busy week but it has all been worth it. We were able to assist four local charities that desperately needed our help and now these well deserving children will have a very happy holiday! It brings us so much joy to watch as these gift banks are packed with lots of love and picked up by charities that are helping children with grateful hearts. As you can imagine, these toys will not only allow children to experience a great holiday but will also bring a huge relief to parents as well. We are not done yet! We still have gift banks in the warehouse to be picked up next week. It is so heartwarming for us to be able to carry out our mission right in our own back yard!

Barbara
Director of Distribution

Mobile, Ala. – A young teen with a life threatening illness had his wish for a laptop computer granted by national children’s charity Kids Wish Network.

Clifton, a 15-year-old from Mobile, was diagnosed with various illnesses at the age of three. He suffers from Bilateral Acetubular Dysplasia, – an illness which resulted in two hip replacements – cerebral palsy and a disease called PANDAS, which is a pediatric autoimmune disorder which causes mental issues and delay. Clifton also suffers from severe asthma. He gets weekly blood transfusions and takes daily breathing treatments to help control some of his illnesses.

Clifton’s mother, Patricia, said that times are tough for her and her family. She said Clifton battled medical issues since the age of three and she was not able to provide all the things he wanted.

“He has been really sick off and on since he was three. I couldn’t afford certain things and I mentioned this to his social worker and was told that his medical condition would possibly qualify him to have a wish granted,” Patricia said.

After the application process, Patricia was speaking to wish coordinator Vanessa, making plans to see her son’s wish come true.

Vanessa confirmed that Clifton’s one wish was for a laptop. She also had plans to make his wish extra special and provide him with a printer and computer games including NFL CD card games that can be played on the computer. She also sent him a gift box full of puzzles, board games and toys.

“I wanted to do a little extra and let Clifton know that he deserves to feel special,” Vanessa said.

Patricia said that Clifton probably chose a laptop for his wish because he used a computer in the past.

“When he was in school he was working with a computer and his uncle has a computer and he wanted one of his own,” Patricia said.

When Clifton saw his brand new laptop, printer and box full of toys, it was hard for him to contain his excitement, his mom said.

“He was very happy. He just jumped up and down with excitement,” said Patricia. “He told me, ‘Momma, we’re rich now.’”

Patricia said that she thinks that Kids Wish Network “is a wonderful service” and that she was pleased to see her son’s wish come true.

“Just seeing the excitement on his face and knowing that someone loves him has been the best part for me,” she said.

Kids Wish Network is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to infusing hope, creating happy memories, and improving the quality of life for children. If you know a child between the ages of 3 and 18 who may be in need of its wish granting services, please call 727-937-3600 or toll free 888-918-9004. For more information on Kids Wish Network, visit their website at www.kidswishnetwork.org

I have been working on a wish for a 16 year old young lady from Pelion, SC named Chelsea. She told me that her biggest dream was to be on a TV show. Chelsea has always wanted to be a star and she was certain this was her number one wish. Chelsea was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, which is a type of lung disease, when she was 7 months old.

A few weeks ago we received a call from the Associate Producer for Gary Unmarried which is a prime time sitcom on CBS. He said he had a small walk on role for Chelsea and invited her to come out to Los Angeles and spend the day at the set.

Chelsea and her mom arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday and spent the next day checking out all the Hollywood Boulevard attractions such as the Wax Museum as well as taking a StarLine tour of the celebrity’s homes. She also spent a little time shopping for a new outfit for her big television debut. Chelsea was very excited and anxious for her day at the studio on Tuesday.

Tuesday morning a stretch limo arrived and chauffeured Chelsea to the studio. After arriving she was given her own special dressing room and invited to attend the rehearsal to be “placed” in her role. We found out that they were shooting a scene at a “roller skating rink” and Chelsea would be involved in the scene as a skater and as a person seen in the background at the roller rink. Later on she was taken into the dressing room to have her hair and makeup done. It was very interesting to see how a TV show is made and all the detail and time that goes into a 30 minute show. We spent more than 10 hours watching them get everything perfect! Chelsea was given the “star treatment” all day and was made to feel very special by all the cast and crew. The episode will be airing in November and Chelsea can’t wait too see herself in it!

Chelsea described her experience as:

“Being on Gary Unmarried was the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. I had the most amazing time. It’s something I’ll never in my life forget.”

My daughter works with a lady whose perfectly healthy 24-year-old son passed away last week as the result of a terrible automobile accident. He was married and had a young son. With three daughters of my own, I can’t begin to imagine the ultimate loss this woman is going through.

Most of us go through our daily lives and never stop to think about the struggles that so many people are going through. Many of our wish families have a child living with a life-threatening illness each and every day. All my fellow associates here at KWN work very hard to help make these children’s wishes come true and to forget about their illness, if just for a few hours or days while they are on their wish!

As we begin the season of Thanksgiving and the giving and receiving of gifts, let us not forget the most precious gift of all…our children!

Kathleen
Office and Personnel Administrator

Each week we write a blog that will be posted on our Kids Wish Network blog site. Blogs are usually submitted to our editorial staff on Tuesday by 4:30 pm and today is the big day. I have been sitting here for about 30 minutes trying to figure out what I should share with the world. I started three different stories and erased them all. So I’m back at square one.

First I started writing about the holiday season and how big the need is for children who are sick or whose parents can’t make ends meet. But I didn’t like the way that was going. So it was wiped from the computer screen.

Then I thought, “why don’t I write about some of the recent wishes I wrote press releases for?” So I typed one sentence and my brain froze. It was on to another topic.

My next idea was to write about our Holiday of Hope party I have been helping put together, but I figured since I haven’t gotten much accomplished, I wouldn’t have much to write about. Obviously, there is still some work to be done in that area…

So, here I am. I don’t know if it’s because today is Tuesday, which means that Monday was yesterday and my brain is still not functioning at full capacity, or if I am having a mental reaction to the massive intake of sugar from this past weekend (trick or treating with my 4-year-old cousin), but coming up with a blog has been hard work.

I hope next week I can get it together. Hopefully by Tuesday the fog of Monday will have cleared from my brain and a blog topic will appear!

Elizabeth
Wish Department

This past Friday, everyone at Kids Wish Network celebrated Halloween with costumes and a luncheon. I was looking forward to this special day since we all had a blast last year. The Development Department dressed up as witches – but very glamorous witches! We basically only had to find a few witchy items, since we Development Divas are glamorous all year round! There were witch hats, capes, black lipstick and high heels galore!

I made my “famous” cheese platter and it was devoured before lunch even started! Lunch time was awesome! Everyone brought in homemade goodies to share! We had everything from chips to pasta dishes.

After everyone had a little time to digest the great lunch, the real fun started! Each department got to go trick-or-treating! At Kids Wish Network, you’re never too old to trick-or-treat! I filled a witch hat with all sorts of candies and chips. After such a “long, hard” day, it was great to wrap up my work for the week and snack on a few treats while trying to fulfill all those special wishes.

Overall it was an absolutely fabulous day at Kids Wish Network. I’ve already begun to think of ideas for next years costume extravaganza! I hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween!

Megan
Development Diva