By Celine Hoang and Colette Nguyen, Staff Writers
Last Thursday, Make-A-Wish members gathered to grant their ninth wish to six-year-old Mia.
Make-A-Wish is a worldwide organization that raises money to grant the wish of a child with a life-threatening medical condition. They hope “to enrich the human spirit with hope, strength and joy.” As a club, their goal is to grant one wish per year.
This year’s wish will be going to Mia, a six-year-old who was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of three. Mia enjoys anything Hawaiian and her wish is to be like the Disney character, Lilo and run around in the waves of Hawaii.
During lunch, the wish was presented by John Ott, a Make-A-Wish representative at the headquarters in Irvine.
After many months of work, time and effort, the club raised a total of $5000 through collecting club dues, selling T-shirts, hosting dine outs and their annual hot chocolate fundraiser, which raises about $3000.
“When I found out that we raised enough money to grant a wish, I was really proud in the board’s efforts as well as members putting in their work, all their time and effort to grant this wish,” said Kristie Hoang (‘16), Co-President of the FVHS Make-A-Wish club.
Board members of the club are also proud of what they have achieved this year together.
“I feel really accomplished, for sure, because we were kind of doubted that we were able to do it. We’re not just proving to ourselves, we’re proving kind of everyone that just because we’re new to this, doesn’t mean we can’t accomplish something that we want,” said Katherine Hoang (‘17), Publicist of FVHS Make-A-Wish. “It just makes us really proud to represent our cause.”
Even though they have not raised as much money compared to last year, the board members are continuing to work on fundraising and volunteering as much as they possibly can to grant the children’s wishes. The club ranks as one of the biggest sponsors of wishes, along with corporate companies such as Macy’s and Disneyland.
Factors that help the club and its board members continue to work is the satisfaction of meeting their goal and being able to contribute to the happiness of a child.
“Last year when we granted a wish, the best thing was the little kid’s smile on his face, and his family just kept on thanking us, and it was the best thing,” said Evelyn Hoang.
The next plans for Make-A-Wish include working at the FVHS Culture Fair, attending the annual Walk For Wishes in OC Great Park and “Bring Your Friend to Make-A-Wish Day.” This year, they will be also introducing something new called World Wish Week, which will take place at FVHS on April 29. During that week, the club will celebrate the magic of wishes by wearing Make-A-Wish shirts, holding a photo booth and passing out stickers and wristbands.
Great job FVHS Make-A-Wish!