In October 2004, a ten-year-old boy undergoing radiation therapy attended a concert with Bruce Springsteen, REM, and John Fogerty. The boy’s greatest wish was to meet Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen, and that night this wish was fulfilled. That boy was me. After completing chemotherapy treatment for a brain tumor, the Make-A-Wish Foundation sought me out and made my wish come true.
The Make-A-Wish foundation grants one wish to children with fatal diseases. Make-A-Wish personally finds every child in a hospital and asks each child about their greatest wish. Then the organization tries to make that wish come true. From personal experience, I can tell you it’s no small feat to provide a silver lining in the lives of children who deal with such troubling issues. The wish, whether dinner with a star or a cruise to Disneyland, allows these children to enjoy themselves and provides for an escape from the dreary hospital scene. Such children, bearing too many hardships, experience the best thing possible: at least one day of worry-free fun. That’s why I brought the Make-A-Wish foundation to LM Shades.
LM Shades, originally formed to promote diversity, was failing due to lack of members. The struggling club bounced back upon announcing support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, refocusing the club’s original goals.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation was created in 1980 when seven-year-old Chris Greicius, who had always dreamed of becoming a police officer, contracted leukemia. Although Chris could not be a real police officer, the Make-A-Wish Foundation got Chris as close to his dream as possible. On April 29, 1980, Chris took a tour of his hometown Phoenix, Arizona in a real police chopper, courtesy of U.S. Customs Officer Tommy Austin and Ron Cox, an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer. After a tour of the headquarters, Chris got his own authentic police uniform to take home. Sadly, Chris Greicius passed away only three days later, May 2, but his legacy lives on as the wish that inspired it all.
Guidance counselor and club sponsor Colleen Miller said, “I think that it is so wonderful that LM Shades is supporting such a great cause.”
After the commitment to t h e Make-A-Wish Foundation, LM Shades found new life in a swarm of new members, all eager to help.
Trips in police helicopters, cruises, and trips to Disney World can be expensive, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit organization, so all of their funds come from donations. The LM Shades club aims to help with exactly that.
Sophomore Danny Kane, the Vice President of the club, said, “We’d like to raise enough this year to sponsor one wish, which would be around $7,000, but if we don’t, that’s fine too, as long as we raise as much as we can.”
LM Shades will be holding several fundraisers throughout the year, including bake sales and awareness campaigns.
Senior Julia Sosenko, a member of Shades, said, “I like Shades because it has a specific goal, and so even though it’s the first year of it in our school, the club members are really focused and eager to raise money. There aren’t a lot of us, but I think we’re off to a really good start. The Make- A-Wish Foundation is such a good cause and I think everyone really wants to be there and help support a kid’s wish.”
The Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted over 185,500 wishes. With help from LM students, Shades hopes to help grant even more.
Jake Ochroch
Class of 2012
