Make-A-Wish Foundation of
Connecticut's
Annual Evening of Wishes Gala Fundraiser
Saturday, April 24, 2010
|
|
|
|
The Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Connecticut announced
today that the Beneski family of
Avon, CT, will be honored at the
upcoming annual "Evening of Wishes
Gala" to be held on Saturday, April
24, 2010 from 6 p.m. to 12 Midnight
at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods,
Mashantucket, CT.
The event is the largest and most
important fundraising effort
undertaken each year by the
Connecticut chapter of the
Make-A-Wish Foundation. The money
raised supports the foundation in
its mission to grant the wishes of
children with life-threatening
medical conditions. In addition to
an evening of dinner and dancing to
the music of the Cartells, attendees
will have the opportunity to bid on
a wide variety of unique auction
items donated by some of our area's
most prominent residents and
businesses. The auction will be
hosted by WTIC-AM Sportscaster Joe
D'Ambrosio.
Attendees will have the
opportunity to get to know this
year's Wish Family. Each year, the
gala spotlights a "Wish Kid" who has
recently been the recipient of a
wish from the Connecticut chapter of
the organization. The spotlight this
year will shine on the Beneski
family from Avon, Connecticut. Their
story is a very special real-life
example of the Make-A-Wish spirit in
action. Eamon, Seamus and Jake
(three of the Beneski's four sons)
share a rare genetic condition that
qualified them to have their wishes
granted. Eight-year-old Eamon had
his wish to go to the Nickelodeon
Hotel granted in 2005. The following
year, ten-year-old Seamus traveled
to Hawaii with his family as his
wish. Seamus' twin brother Jake then
met the cast of "The Suite Life of
Zack and Cody" in 2008. All three
Wish Kids, as well as their brother
and parents, will be honored at the
April 2010 gala.
"Make-A-Wish creates moments that
change lives. Truly, our wish trips
made impressions on us, individually
and collectively, that will remain
with us forever," said Tim Beneski,
father of Eamon, Seamus & Jake.
"Once you are in the Make-A-Wish
family, you are always in the
Make-A-Wish family. From the first,
we have felt that we are part of
something much bigger than
ourselves, but something that
enveloped us with a wonderful sense
of caring and concern."
The current economic situation is
proving to be an obstacle for
everyone involved in fundraising for
charitable causes and the
Make-A-Wish Foundation is affected
as well. "Our Evening of Wishes Gala
raises a good portion of the money
we need to fulfill our mission
year-round," said Tara Navara,
director, Internal Events,
Make-A-Wish Foundation of
Connecticut. "We encourage everyone
to consider joining us for this
memorable evening, and also to get
your tickets as soon as you can. We
need your support now more than
ever."
To purchase tickets, sponsor a table
or to donate auction items for the
Evening of Wishes Gala, go to
http://wishct.kintera.org/gala10 or
call (203) 261-9044. This year's
corporate Presenting sponsors
include the Wireless Zone and the
Connecticut Laborers' District
Council along with Hope Sponsor
Fairview Capital and Joy Sponsor
ESPN.
|
|
|
Among the hundreds of
auction items are luxury vacations,
wines from around the world, Sunday
NFL Countdown insider's pass with
Chris Berman, a "Dick Vitale
All-Access Experience" and many
once-in-a-lifetime, priceless
experiences. "This year's event
promises to be our best ever and the
most important event to date," said
Howie Schwab, ESPN TV personality
and Make-A-Wish Foundation of
Connecticut board member. "During
these tough economic times, it's
even more important to take care of
these children and offer the best
experience possible."
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of
Connecticut is a non-profit
organization that grants the wishes
of children with life threatening
medical conditions to enrich the
human experience with hope, strength
and joy. The organization relies
solely on donor funding to fulfill
its mission of providing
wish-come-true experiences to all
medically eligible children in
Connecticut. The "wish-come-true"
experiences do wonders by providing
needed respite from hospital stays,
medical treatments and doctor
visits. Wishes are granted to
children ages 2 to 18 years old
while allowing families to spend
precious time together. Since it was
founded, the Connecticut chapter has
granted more than 1,800 wishes. For
more information, call (203)
261-9044
|
|
www.ct.wish.org |
|