Make-A-Wish raises $4.6K at Wish Night fundraiser

Make-A-Wish Guam/CNMI enjoyed a casual evening of great food and drinks at the Naked Fish Bar & Grill on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014. Local patrons and community organizations gathered at the restaurant to help raise $4,563 toward granting wishes directly to CNMI’s Wish Kids.

Board members John Antenocruz, Kanae Quinn, executive director Victor Camacho, and programs manager Kaleen Aguon were all present.

Make-A-Wish sincerely appreciates the tremendous support of the following companies who generously contributed to the 2nd annual event: Bank of Guam, Blue Continent Communications, BSEA Sunsports, Chong’s Corp., Coral Ocean Point & Resort Club, First Hawaiian Bank, Flame Tree TV Productions Co., Gold’s Gym Saipan, Hula Girl Ice Cream, Island Apparel, Java Café. Joeten Enterprises, Marianas Medical Center, Mariana Resort & Spa, MarPac, Naked Fish Bar & Grill, PIC Saipan, Pacific Trading Co., Sorensen Media Group – Power99, Sweet Escape, T Galleria – DFS Saipan Ltd., The Coffee Room, Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino, Titan Imports, Triple J Wholesale, Capricciosa’s, Truong’s, Tony Roma’s, Truckload Store, United Airlines, and Xerox Corp.

The evening’s program included a fabulous array of 15 raffle prize packages, live music and an emotional, heartwarming speech presented by Catrina Jean Pantaleon, a 14-year-old CNMI Wish Kid. Her tear-jerking speech silenced the room as she expressed her feelings and experiences about her Wish.

“On July 28, 2014, my wish came to a reality. Through the Make A Wish Foundation I was able to enjoy a week of fun-filled, thrilling and stomach-filling adventure with my whole family, which I will cherish for the rest of my life. Make A Wish Foundation has been a channel of God’s blessing for me and my family. God has shown his love for us through the hard work and dedication of the people behind Make A Wish like Naked Fish and many others. Just recently we found out that I have a Grade IV brain tumor, whatever that is. So, I have to start drinking chemo meds again. I do not know what will happen to me while I’m drinking the chemo meds or how my body will react to it, but the memories of my Wish trip will always remind me that miracles do happen and wishes do come true.”

Make-A-Wish Guam/CNMI continues its work to transform dreams into reality. In addition, Make-A-Wish requests the community’s support in helping with referrals for potential Wish Kids who face life-threatening medical conditions. Anyone in our community can make a referral so please let us know of any family whose child may be eligible. You may contact us through our local number (670) 483-9474 (WISH).

About Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the foundation is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, with 64 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 200,000 wishes in the United States since its inception.

For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit guam.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish. (MAWF)