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In the Media

Newspapers, magazines and other media do a lot to spread the word of the Foundation's work. Click a story below to see incredible stories about wish kids, volunteers and more

Santa and Make-A-Wish bring fun and grant a wish
Santa Claus may not have arrived by sleigh, but he popped into town Monday as part of an effort by Macy's to bring cheer to children with life-threatening medical conditions. [click to view]

RIVERSIDE: Fraternity’s race supports Make-A-Wish Foundation
The second annual Chris Lee 5K Run for Hope was held by the UC Riverside chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon on Saturday, Nov. 17. [click to view]

MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION CROWNS A PRINCESS AND CELEBRATES 30 YEARS
For thirty years, the Orange County and Inland Empire chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation has been helping children and teenagers suffering from serious illnesses realize their hopes, dreams and fantasies. Last month, the group celebrated its many accomplishments by hosting the “Evening of Wishes” Gala at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach and raising nearly $150,000. [click to view]

Celebrating 30 Years of Granting Wishes
Make-A-Wish Orange county and Inland Empire CEO, Stephanie McCormick and Michael Rapacz, the chairman of the board for the chapter, dance with wish child Avery and her mom at the gala on Friday. [click to view]

LOMA LINDA: Resident crowned by Make-a-Wish I
The Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach was the site for 200 guests celebrating the 30th anniversary of the local chapter of Make-A-Wish on Oct. 26.
Founding member of Make-A-Wish America, Frank Shankwitz, spoke about his experience with Chris Greicius, the inspiration behind the creation of Make-A-Wish. He also told of granting the first official wish for Frank “Bopsy” Salazar, whose wish included a trip to Disneyland. Bopsy’s wish spurred a long-standing relationship between Disney and Make-A-Wish, and solidified strong ties with the local community.
[click to view]

McClain & Company
The panel was stellar, and the kick-off ceremony made a few grown men cry.
“I Survived Real Estate,” an annual event by The Norris Group of Riverside, over the years has made a name for itself for the real estate investors and experts it draws to the black tie gala that’s been held in places that are — to coin the phase — presidential.
[click to view]

Girl, 3, becomes a princess during Make-a-Wish gala
One little girl's wish came true on Friday night as she was crowned a princess during the Make-a-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire gala. [click to view]

Gracie Is a Make-A-Wish Ambassador
Young stroke victim from Laguna Niguel continues to be an inspiration to many. [click to view]

Student gets wish, meets Pujols
Fernando Rojas, 15, of Anaheim, gets his wish to meet Angels slugger Albert Pujols. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish stages mini-carnival
Several dozen children came out to the Make-A-Wish
Foundation's mini-carnival sponsored by the Kaleidoscope
shopping center in Mission Viejo. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish wraps up busy summer
With one third all the Foundation's wishes being granted, summer is the busiest season for the charity [click to view]

Ontario: 300 Walk for Wishes Fundraiser
Nearly 300 walkers came out to support Make-A-Wish Orange
County and the Inland Empire for the inaugural Inland Empire
Walk For Wishes event, presented by Ontario Auto Center,
Sunday, Aug. 26. [click to view]

Marine for a Day: Camp Pendleton Teams up with Make-A-Wish
At only 5 years old, Jorge Solis has dreamed of becoming a
Marine for more than half his life. [click to view]

Lobsters Give Their All for a Good Cause
As reggae music by We the People filled the air, guests enjoyed
cocktails and an impressive buffet featuring large Maine lobster
and juicy tri-tip prepared to perfection by Back Bay Bistro
catering. [click to view]

Red, White & Dine Wine Extravaganza
Wednesday, August 15, will be an evening of starry skies, petite
cuisine, and fine wine at Kaleidoscope’s second annual Red,
White and Dine – Wine Extravaganza, but the true delight of the
evening is the reason behind it. [click to view]

Disneyland wish comes true for child with life-threatening illness
Eight-year old Brianna Gibson may not look like a child with a
life-threatening disease, but her rosy cheeks and bright smile are
not indicative of her current state. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish sets inaugural walk
Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire will host the
Inland area’s inaugural Walk For Wishes on Aug. 26, at the
Ontario Convention Center. [click to view]

Farrell's ice cream contest in Brea attracts dessert lovers
Eight-year-old Desiree Nathanson loves ice cream more than
anything. That made it easy for Desiree to train for Sunday's 3rd
annual Splendiferously Superiffic Summer Spectacular Ice
Cream Eating Challenge. [click to view]

Olympic Wish Comes True for Teen Cancer Survivor
A teenage cancer survivor from Orange County is heading to the
London Olympics to hang out with the U.S. volleyball team.
Members of the team were on hand in Anaheim as Make-a-Wish
made that teenager's dream come true. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish “Summer of Wishes” invites local businesses to honor wishes
Tustin-based Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland
Empire is granting 325 wishes to local children this year with
an expected 125 to take place during the summer months with
“Summer of Wishes.” The campaign hopes to grant wishes,
raise the program’s community profile, and develop local
business involvement. [click to view]

Disney holds special magic for visitors with disabilities
My dad does a mean impression of Gaston from "Beauty and the
Beast," and every song from the movie is etched into my
memory. We'll slip a line of dialog into conversation, then
another and another. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish Celebrates Independence Day with OCSD
On his sixth birthday, Ashe Valadez opened more than 200 birthday cards from friends and family around the world, sending love and wishes as Ashe prepared for his next round of chemotherapy. Days later on July 4, 2012 he celebrated America’s birthday with over 200 friends from Make-A-Wish. [click to view]

KFI's Tim Conway Jr. comes to O.C. for ice cream
Tim Conway Jr. brought his KFI/AM 640 radio crew with him to Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour at the Shops at Mission Viejo Thursday night to lend the station's megawatt microphone to the shop's ice cream eating contest. [click to view]

NERDIST DOES STAR WARS - A Lightsaber's Journey to Comic-Con
The Force is strong with Chris Hardwick. Check out his epic journey from Lucasfilm's Industrial Light & Magic all the way to the Santa Monica Pier to deliver the Course of the Force lightsaber, encountering the likes of R2-D2, Boba Fett, and The Walking Dead's Robert Kirkman along the way. Course of the Force runs from July 7-11, 2012. For more information head to courseoftheforce.com/. [click to view]

Angels' Trumbo grants wish for cancer survivor
Mark Trumbo waited in front of the Angels dugout before batting practice Wednesday, preparing to grant a 10-year-old boy's wish. The kid didn't have Albert Pujols or Torii Hunter or the Rally Monkey atop his wish list. Mark Erstad Jr. (no relation to former Angel Darin Erstad) had his heart set on meeting Trumbo, the homegrown slugger who leads the Angels with 17 home runs and the Angel who played first base last season and made this Little Leaguer from Temple City want to play first base, too. [click to view]

WWE superstar John Cena grants 300th Make-A-Wish
WWE superstar John Cena granted his 300th wish to a 7-year-old Pennsylvania boy with a spinal condition, continuing his streak as the most popular celebrity granter in Make-A-Wish Foundation history. [click to view]

Farrell’s in Brea kicks of ice cream eating challenge
The third annual Splendiferously Superiffic Summer Spectacular Ice Cream Eating Challenge allows ice cream lovers to qualify in a final eating challenge later this summer. There is a $20 entry fee which comes with an event T-shirt, a coupon for $5 off your next visit and of course, the qualifying sundae. [click to view]

Disneyland Resort Celebrates Expansion and Grand Reopening of Disney California Adventure Park
To celebrate the grand reopening of the newly expanded and reimagined Disney California Adventure park, the Disneyland Resort donated a total of $500,000 to CHOC Children’s (Children’s Hospital of Orange County) and the Anaheim Community Foundation, which assists disadvantaged youth in Anaheim. [click to view]

Morgan Drexen CEO Walter Ledda Joins the Development Committee at Make-A-Wish
The year 1983 had a special significance for both Make-A-Wish® and Morgan Drexen CEO Walter Ledda. It was that year 14-year old Tamara was granted the first wish – to see the clear blue waters of the Caribbean. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish fulfills boy's dream to see Disney's Cars Land
Lucas Appleton wheeled himself toward the wrought-iron safety gate separating him from the ride he was about to experience – Luigi's Flying Tires, a personal hovercraft attraction in Cars Land.
[click to view]

Leukemia patient’s wish granted
The International Society for Children with Cancer recently partnered with Make-A-Wish by donating $5,000 to the local chapter and adopting the wish of 12-year-old Alejandro from Anaheim. When Alejandro was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, his treatments prevented him from doing what he loves to do – going to his friends’ houses to play video games. [click to view]

Rubber ducks race through Disneyland
It was the fourth annual Rubber Duck Derby, an employee fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “A couple of years ago, the Fantasyland management team thought that it would be fun for the cast members and (it) would be a good fundraiser,” said Tamarah Robb, a guest-services manager who organized this year’s derby.
[click to view]

Make-A-Wish gift transforms girl's life
The thing that Robert Smith wanted most was furthest from his reach: the gift of enabling his youngest daughter to run and play with other children in their Newport Beach neighborhood. [click to view]

Gracie’s Paris Wish Comes True
The local resident spent time in the City of Lights thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Read about her journey. [click to view]

Walk For Wishes April 21, 2012
Thanks Michael Finnican from Social River Marketing for creating this great video from our Walk For Wishes! What a great way to relive the memories! [click to view]

Monster Energy Gives Back - 2012 Walk For Wishes
On April 21st Make-A-Wish OCIE held their 2nd Annual Walk For Wishes event. There were over 1500 walkers and we all raised over $195,000. The Monster Energy Gives Back Walk Team raised over $23,000.00. Go Team!!!! [click to view]

Make-A-Wish builds new bedroom for sick boy
Roberto Arceo, who likes to go by the nickname “PapiChulo,” was surprised with a new bedroom April 22, built and decorated by volunteers from UnitedHealthcare and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Roberto, 4, of Fontana, has Kaposiform Hemangioendotheliioma, a vascular tumor. [click to view]

Granting Wishes to People in Need
Sarah Pizzaruso, Director of Development for Make-A-Wish, and Emily Justiniano discuss the Walk for Wishes fundraiser on Real Orange. [click to view]

The 2nd Annual Walk for Wishes raises over $190,000
Music, games and fun kicked-off a morning made for raising hope and bringing joy to children. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish recipient comes full circle at fundraising walk
Nearly two decades ago, Lindsay Maloney's little brother was granted a trip to Walt Disney World after being diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer. Maloney, then 10 and living in El Dorado, Ark., remembers how her family's Make-A-Wish vacation allowed 5-year-old Kyle Gage to briefly forget about the needles, chemotherapy sessions and five-hour drives to his cancer hospital. [click to view]

One Fan’s Spring Game Experience Puts Things In Perspective
The highlight of Saturday’s spring game did not involve football. It wasn’t the touchdown that senior quarterback Matt Barkley threw to sophomore receiver Marqise Lee in the corner of the end zone.
[click to view]

Mc Clain's Wish
McClain's wish was to play football. Thanks to Make-A-Wish and the USC Trojans, McClain's wish came true.
[click to view]

Irvine teen gets Make-a-Wish meeting with Pope Benedict XVI
She wore a red coat to stand out among the foreign dignitaries and international politicians. Others in line to meet the leader of the Roman Catholic Church carried gifts: tapestries, paintings, even the Olympic torch.

[click to view]

One Man's Walk Across America Stuck in Indio
On March 19th, Mike Shaw, a 69-year-old medical insurance salesman, left Dana Point for New York City on a walk across America to raise awareness and funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish Foundation holds inaugural Cornerstone Event
Last Friday, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire's board members, Dr. Daniel B. Kim and Joel Solomon, hosted the organization's first Cornerstone Event in Newport Coast to raise more than $100,000 for children with serious illnesses.
[click to view]

Volunteers sought for Make-A-Wish
Southwest Riverside County residents are being sought to volunteer with The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire.

[click to view]

Hawaii Wish Comes True For Riverside Teen
Marcus French, 16, of Riverside, lives with Rhabdomyosarcoma. When presented with an opportunity for a wish, he chose to go to Hawaii. Marcus’ wish recently came true, courtesy of UnitedHealthcare and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

[click to view]

Share The Love Event Raises $200,000 For 25 Local Kids
Matthew, a 7-year-old boy from Palm Desert, battling Leukemia had a simple wish: to have a room makeover. Some 25 kids like Matthew with life-threatening conditions had their wishes granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation thanks to the fifth annual Share the Love Charity Event last month.

[click to view]

3-year-old Victorville girl with incurable disease touches hearts
At first, 3-year-old Autumn Kenney developed faster than the average child. She crawled at 4 to 5 months and was "cruising" — walking while holding on to furniture — at 7 to 8 months. But she never walked, even when she passed the year mark.

[click to view]

Weddings Bring Joy to Children
A Laguna Beach couple, Scott and Erin Ferrel, decided to donate to Make-A-Wish Foundation instead of receiving the usual wedding gifts when they tied the knot. “There was no better way to celebrate one of the happiest days of my life than by sharing the love and abundance of support from our family and friends and making a child’s wish come true,” said Erin, whose little brother, Brandon, visited several amusement parks complements of Make-A-Wish before his death from cancer. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish Celebrates The Fifth Anniversary Of The Share The Love Charity Event
The 5th Annual Share the Love Charity Event, benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Orange County and the Inland Empire, will be held Feb. 18 through 20, 2012, hosted by Arlynn and Paul Feldman of La Quinta. [click to view]

Rolling for Wishes fundraiser rolls into fifth year
The "Rolling for Wishes V" Casino Night to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire will be held Saturday, March 3, at the Santiago Canyon Estate. The canyon views will provide the backdrop for a black-white-silver "Casablanca" theme. The evening will include dinner, casino action, raffles and games, plus silent and live auctions. The annual event is hosted by Karla Kjellin-Elder and Jeff Elder of Orange.

[click to view]

Don’t Be E-Wasteful!
What happens when your cell phone finally dies, your mp3 player breaks, or your computer goes caput? Do you know how to safely dispose of E-Waste? You can’t just throw it in the trash. Most electronics contain elements that are poisonous or harmful to the environment; particularly lead and mercury. Luckily there are some local businesses that are here to help.

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Winter Wishes comes to Downtown Riverside
Eyekonic Visions and Photography presents “Winter Wishes 2012,” a fashion event featuring winter fashions produced by the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.

[click to view]

Make A Wish Foundation Open House
The City of Newport Beach came to the Make-A-Wish Open House to meet local volunteers, donors and wish families. [click to view]

Monster electronic waste collection to benefit charity
Corona-based Monster Beverage Co. is hosting an electronic waste collection event supported by ECS Refining’s e-collective program from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 14.

[click to view]

Merchant Services of Irvine Supports Boy’s Wish to See a T-Rex
Merchant Services of Irvine, as part of their ongoing dedication to partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation®, recently granted their 40th wish and helped a young boy from Mission Viejo, CA, see a Tyrannosaurus Rex and meet paleontologists. [click to view]

Local Make-A-Wish chapter celebrates 6th annual Christmas Wishes
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire recently hosted its 6th annual Christmas Wishes event. This year it took place at Disneyland’s Club 33 to celebrate both the wishes granted this past year and the donors who adopted them.
[click to view]

Students donate backpacks to Make-A-Wish
Poly High School students in the Computer/FBLA Club and their advisor Barbara Durst-Taylor, left, show the backpacks purchased for Make-A-Wish Foundation. The club collected $700 from Poly High students to purchase 59 backpacks for children with life-threatening illnesses to take when they travel to have their wish fulfilled. [click to view]

Wish Kids Take A Cruise
Local Make-A-Wish kids had a special cruise in Newport Harbor on July 4, complete with games, prizes and a special guest. “The Fourth of July meant more than apple pie and fireworks for many of our local wish children,” Colleen Donovan, PR and development coordinator for MAW of Orange County and Inland Empire wrote in an email.

[click to view]

11-year-old battling serious illness counts her blessings
Mya Jenkins was born with a life-threatening illness. But her mother, Sherry Jenkins, says Mya, 11, and her family are "blessed." That blessing has come in the form of caring and help Mya's family has received on many fronts: medical professionals and organizations like the Make-a-Wish Foundation. [click to view]

Stater Bros. Charities granted 4 local childrens’ wishes
The charitable arm of Stater Bros. Markets of San Bernardino, Stater Bros. Charities, presented the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire with a $20,000 donation last month. With their donation, Stater Bros. Charities will be able to fund the wishes of four local children. [click to view]

Foil flies for fun, charity
Armed with scissors, tape, ribbons, bows, wrapping paper and a heaping dose of creativity, representatives from 10 of O.C.'s leading nonprofits engaged in a gift-wrapping competition at South Coast Plaza's Crystal Court, all sponsored by Nello Cucina, an Italian restaurant on the lobby level. [click to view]

The Shops at Dos Lagos to host Halloween Spooktacular
CORONA, Calif. – Join the Make-A-Wish Foundation at The Shops at Dos Lagos in Corona for a safe and not-so-spooky Halloween on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Raffle and game tickets will be sold for $1 each and can be purchased on site the day of the event. [click to view]

Hahn & Bowersock helps make a child’s wish come true
Hahn & Bowersock partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire, launching a campaign to raise funds to grant a child’s wish. The Costa-Mesa based court-reporting company raised money over the summer through its “Depositions Can Make Wishes Come True” campaign, pledging $1 for every deposition and legal video sold over a four-month period and, with help from clients, raised enough money to sponsor the wish of 8-year-old Isabel. [click to view]

Canyon Lake teen aims to help Make-A-Wish Foundation
Five years ago, the Make-A-Wish Foundation gave Jessi Riddle of Canyon Lake a week she will never forget. Ever since, she’s been returning the favor. Jessi, 16, was born with a complicated central nervous system dysfunction that has sapped her strength but not her resolve.
[click to view]

Kaleidoscope helps make wishes come true
Kaleidoscope mall presented a $5,000 check to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire on Sept. 25 for a 5-year-old Rancho Santa Margarita boy to enjoy a Disney Cruise Vacation with his family and to also meet Mickey Mouse. The donation was made possible from proceeds raised at Kaleidoscope's Red, White & Dine Wine Extravaganza in Augus [click to view]

Painful Illness Does Not Stop Girl From Giving Back
A high school senior who once was granted a gift from the Make -A-Wish Foundation will hold a toy and backpack drive to help other children who are in need of some happiness in their lives. [click to view]

Drink some wine, help a kid’s dream come true
Rob Gundling, the owner of O.C. Custom Wines in Anaheim, is also on the board of the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Orange County. (For those who don’t know, the foundation has been around since 1980 and enriches the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions by helping them realize a wish.) [click to view]

The "Monster Energy Gives Back Program" inspires memorable wish for Corona boy
Christopher, a 14-year-old boy diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, never imagined his wish to go on a shopping spree would turn into the kind of day he was given last Saturday, September 17. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Orange County and the Inland Empire granted Christopher’s wish to shop for motorcycle gear and a laptop. In August, Monster Beverage Company partnered with Make-A-Wish to sponsor Christopher’s wish, and the outcome was an inspirational collaboration. [click to view]

Corona teen gets shopping wish granted
Corona based Monster Beverage Company is partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Orange County and the Inland Empire to sponsor the wish of 14-year-old Christopher, also of Corona, who is battling Burkitt's lymphoma. [click to view]

Los Alamitos makes teen's wish come true
This week, Los Alamitos is hosting a special visitor - Emanuel Curiel, a 17-year-old teenager from South Carolina whose wish through the Make-A-Wish foundation was to visit the trainers, jockeys and horses at the Southern California track. [click to view]

Young man Makes A Wish, unites Los Alamitos' finest
In the hard-boiled orbit of horse racing, where the rivalries among jockeys, trainers and owners can be fierce because of the competitive nature of the sport, a poignant scene has been unfolding this week at the Los Alamitos Race Track.Everyone has been united in turning a dream into reality for a 17-year-old from South Carolina named Eamanuel Curiel, a Make A Wish recipient who flew here with his family Monday to visit one of the storied quarter horse emporiums in America and be introduced to many of its revered figures. [click to view]

Restaurant's $48,000 giveaway now $800,000
White House Restaurant owner Bruno Serato held a contest this summer to give away 12 luncheons – each valued at $4,000 – to charities to help them raise money. Make-A-Wish was one of the recipients of Bruno's generosity.
[click to view]

Lakeland Village Man Rides Solo For Sick Kids
Despite blazing temperatures, Lakeland Village resident Dave Rusk set out today on his third “Ride For Wishes” solo motorcycle trip to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire. [click to view]

Angel Sightings at Two Laguna Beach Art Galleries
Nancy Stubbs and Patrick Whelan asked local artists to create angels to sell in their galleries. Proceeds from sold artwork will benefit the Make-a-Wish-Foundation. [click to view]

Laguna Beach galleries celebrate angels
The Cottage Gallery and the Whelan Gallery welcomed art lovers for a Night of a Hundred Angels on Saturday. The month-long exhibit features artwork in a variety of mediums with an angel theme. On Saturday, the galleries accepted donations for the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and a percentage of the exhibit's proceeds will also be donated. [click to view]

Food Truck: Bottoms up and Bon Appetit
Foodies clambered into the Best Buy parking lot in Fullerton to sink their teeth into some of the best cuisine on wheels.
The Food Truck Festival Fundraiser, arranged by gotfoodtrucks, showcased an array of 14 brightly-colored mobile caterers, enticing hundreds of watering mouths in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire.
[click to view]

Wine tasting benefits Make-A-Wish
Kaleidoscope hosted a wine tasting event Wednesday night to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. The event featured wines from 18 boutique and renowned wineries, paired with hors d' oeuvres and finger foods from restaurants in the Kaleidoscope mall. An array of cheeses were displayed on two tables, one highlighting red wine pairings and the other white wine pairings. [click to view]

Kaleido-Kids Mini Carnival and Make-A-Wish Fundraiser
The Kaleidoscope Shopping Center teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help make children's wishes come true. Garden Grove TV3 reporter Liberty Zabala takes us to the event. [click to view]

Families enjoy ‘Make-A-Wish' splash party
Selah Short was diagnosed with leukemia at age 4 and 20 years later happily remembers having her wish to cruise on Disney's "Big Red Boat" granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So Saturday, Short happily – leukemia free – volunteered at the check-in table as hundreds of children and their parents arrived for a Make-A-Wish party at Wild Rivers water park. [click to view]

Kaleidoscope carnival hosts special guests
MISSION VIEJO – Wearing a white Make-A-Wish T-shirt, Jackson Peper, 6, was among several families who attended a free carnival at Kaleidoscope on Wednesday morning. By 11 a.m., Jackson, who wants to become a police officer one day, had already won two gift cards at the Prize Wheel table and was anxious to explore the rest of the carnival. [click to view]

UCLA football: Edison High walk-on to meet Tebow
UCLA freshman walk-on tight end Luke Gane made a wish and it’s about to come true. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is flying Gane, who missed his junior season at Edison High while battling aplastic anemia three years ago, to Denver on Wednesday to meet Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. [click to view]

Kaleidoscope hopes to sell shoppers on mall
Kaleidoscope will continue to host events targeted at different age groups to get area shoppers excited about the improvements made at the mall. The next two events at Kaleidoscope will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Kaleido-Kids Mini Carnival Day will run from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday. It's free and will have events such as inflatable games and obstacle courses, a trackless train and organized competitive games. [click to view]

Farrell's ice cream contests lure fans
Andrea Barber of Orange said she felt a horrible "brain freeze" coming on. She had just consumed a "Pig's Trough" of ice cream — a double banana split with six scoops complete with toppings during the second annual "Splendiferously Superiffic Summer Spectacular Ice Cream Eating Challenge" at Farrell's Ice Cream in Mission Viejo on Sunday. [click to view]

Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Challenge Draws Hungry Fans
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour in Mission Viejo hosted the second-annual Splendiferously Superiffic Summer Spectacular Ice Cream Eating Challenege at the Shops at Mission Viejo Sunday. [click to view]

Students Help Grant Wishes
Newport Beach kids are granting wishes using money from their piggy banks, lemonade stands, bake sales and even their birthday money. Newport Coast Elementary and Corona del Mar High School both raised $4,000 this year to grant two kids’ wishes through Make-A-Wish Foundation. [click to view]

Pig out at Farrell's ice cream challenge
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour kicked off its second annual ice cream eating challenge on Monday morning, June 20th. Proceeds from the challenge go toward Children's Hospital of Orange County and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. [click to view]

Farrell's 2nd Annual Ice Cream Challenge
America's top Summer Ice Cream Eating Challenge is back for 2011 and cooler than ever! Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour in Mission Viejo, Orange County is looking for America's fastest ice cream eaters. Qualifying goes from June 20 - July10 with the Championship event held at Farrell's in Mission Viejo on July 17. Come one come all and bring your family to witness spectacles that will not be seen again until next summers event!!!
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Lunch change makes wishes come true
Irvine family the recipient of Newport-Mesa Unified students' efforts making the Make-A-Wish Foundation. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish Foundation opens Riverside office
As the season of giving begins, an organization that acts as Santa Claus for sick children all year long has set up shop in downtown Riverside. [click to view]

Making wishes come true
While Americana at Brand shoppers hustled and bustled across the way, 14-year-old Matthew Winward received his wish on Thursday: a trip to sushi school. Winward's wish is the second of 10 public wish celebrations during Make-A-Wish Foundation's sixth annual Season of Wishes, and the first of the series at the Americana. [click to view]

Grand Terrace teen's book is wish come true, literally
Adrian Curiel wrote a book about his experience with cancer. His dream of having it published was turned into reality by the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire. [click to view]

Flying Michael the Batman- KFROG Radiothon Spot
One of our local wish kids, Michael, was featured in a special PSA for Loma Linda Hospital. Click on the link to hear Michael's radio debut. [click to view]

Tricycle ride is wish come true for Yorba Linda family
YORBA LINDA – It's tough for the Pratts to participate in outdoor activities as a family. Sandy and Steve Pratt's 12-year-old daughter, Brenna, has suffered from severe seizures for most of her life, and was diagnosed two years ago with Dravet syndrome, a progressive neurological development disorder. [click to view]

Wishing for a room
Susana's wish came true thanks to Broyhill and Mathis Brothers furniture. [click to view]

Wish comes true for AV teen with surprise bedroom makeover
APPLE VALLEY • When you’re born with a life-threatening medical condition, your bedroom can become your whole world. That’s why, when 17-year-old Susana Romero of Apple Valley was given the chance to make a wish, she asked for a bedroom makeover complete with a canopy bed and zebra-print accessories. [click to view]

July 6: Boy uses Batmobile, 'copter to save city
Michael Valle was a little boy in the hospital when he discovered his superhero powers. The nurses all called him the man of steel. And little by little, he realized that with enough imagination, he could run super-fast and fly – could even smile through chemotherapy and flex his arms after a round of radiation. He wasn't just Michael Valle, a 5-year-old boy with a daredevil streak and a surgical scar on his belly. He was Flying Michael... the Batman! [click to view]

July 6: Boy's wish comes true: superhero for a day
SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- On a limousine ride to Santa Ana, 5-year-old Michael Valle was surrounded by his brothers and sisters. "He's super excited," said his mother Monica Valle. "Super excited." Michael was about to have his dream fulfilled after fighting the battle of his young life. [click to view]

Video chat connecting those in isolation
John Templeton says his software is not about money, it's about helping people. For the past four years the Costa Mesa resident has been working on a video chat service he sees a number of uses for, including connecting isolated cancer patients with the outside world. [click to view]

Making Wishes Come True
Jetsun Jacobs' whole life changed at age 8 when suddenly his left eye stopped moving. He was diagnosed with bone cancer. The tumor the size of a lemon was discovered, but a heavy dose of medication wiped it away in six months. But the bouts of chemotherapy over the course of the next two years took their toll, making him incredibly tired.

That's when his whole life changed — again. [click to view]

Girl's wish to dance with her class comes true
WESTMINSTER – All 12-year-old My Phan wanted to do was dance with her class. On Friday afternoon, My, a fifth-grader at Finley Elementary School, did just that. She did it with a lot of help from Heidi Burns, who finished as one of the top four dancers on the Fox Network show "So You Think You Can Dance." [click to view]

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® Receives $1.1 Million Donation from Blizzard Entertainment
PHOENIX (Feb. 17, 2010) -- The Make-A-Wish Foundation today announced a $1.1 million donation from Blizzard Entertainment, a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software. The donation is based on 50 percent of the total sales during November and December 2009 of a special in-game pet, the Pandaren Monk, for Blizzard's award-winning, massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft®. [click to view]

The road from pre-med to Miss America
Cavinder, 21 and a USC graduate from Orange, will try to become the first Miss California to be crowned Miss America since 1983 when the annual pageant is held Saturday in Las Vegas. She is a Make-A-Wish volunteer. [click to view]

San Clemente gave architect of world's tallest building a foundation
Chance Mitchell, a 7-year-old with congenital heart failure, became fascinated with the Burj Khalifa after searching "tallest building" on YouTube and watching a clip about the structure being built in Dubai. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Orange County and the Inland Empire made the boy, who has a hole in the wall separating his heart's right and left chambers, a 4-foot scale model of the Burj this summer. [click to view]

Winchester resident headed to Hawaii
Katsuki Obama isn't headed to Hawaii until next week, but a celebration at a Murrieta restaurant Saturday really drummed up excitement for the trip ---- literally. [click to view]

March units team up for Make-A-Wish tour
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. -- David's wish came true November 7 when he piloted a Predator and climbed aboard three March aircraft. David is a 12-year-old Costa Mesa boy with muscular dystrophy, a hereditary disease characterized by the progressive deterioration of muscle. But the day wasn't about David's illness; it was about David living his dream. [click to view]

Menifee: Young 'farmer's' wish granted
Tristen has been enthralled with animals since he was 6 or 7 months old. Dogs. Donkeys. Pigs. You name it. If it has four legs, the Sun City boy with the cheeky grin is a fan. On Sunday, Tristen, a 5-year-old who has been battling leukemia for three years, was surrounded by a veritable menagerie during a Make-A-Wish Foundation event at the Bouris' family ranch in Menifee. And it looked like the young "farmer for the day" loved every minute of it. [click to view]

Farrell's ice cream contest in Brea attracts dessert lovers
Eight-year-old Desiree Nathanson loves ice cream more than anything. That made it easy for Desiree to train for Sunday's 3rd annual Splendiferously Superiffic Summer Spectacular Ice Cream Eating Challenge. [click to view]

Make-A-Wish® Orange County and the Inland Empire | |