Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic’s recent Evening of Wishes: Hope from Home event also included a promise from Amentum: $100,000 annually for the next 3 years to the Uniformed Services Family Wish Fund.
Supporting causes that help veterans and military families is something near and dear to Amentum, especially as one-third of employees are military veterans, said John Vollmer, Amentum CEO.
“Between frequent moves, deployments and working within the military health system, families in the uniformed services may not always be aware of the resources available to help,” he said. “Ultimately, Make-A-Wish brings hope, and we want children whose parents serve our nation to be able to tap into that, ultimately helping them to persevere and when possible, heal.”
Organizers said the annual event is vital to raising much-needed funds to continue serving children with critical illnesses in Washington, D.C., Maryland and northern Virginia by granting life-changing wishes. This year, in lieu of the typical gala experience, the event was virtual and included more than 200 ticketed attendees who received dinner deliveries and gift baskets. Worldwide, over 1,000 unique viewers tuned in. Overall, the event raised enough to cover 40 wishes.
“Especially in a year like this, we know that wish children and the community surrounding them need the hope of a wish come true,” said Lesli Creedon, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. “… Our biggest highlight overall was seeing our Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic community come together to support local wishes, even during this difficult time.”
Alison Starling of ABC7 News and Peter Alexander from NBC News with their daughters.
Alison Starling of ABC7 News and Peter Alexander from NBC News came on with their daughters as special guest emcees.
Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic has granted more than 175 wishes since the pandemic began. And the pandemic has impacted the kinds of wishes the organization is able to grant. Granting travel wishes and those involving group experiences hasn’t been possible.
“However, we are still hard at work granting the wishes it is safe to grant at this time,” Creedon said. “These include wishes to have things like a puppy, a camper to be able to travel safely during the pandemic, a backyard playset, electronics or an online shopping spree.”
She added the organization has also granted virtual meetings of celebrities. And there has been an increase in children simply wishing to give back to others. One such wish included giving compasses to children at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
“Like many nonprofits, we have seen a financial impact from the pandemic, but with the community’s continued support, we will be able to continue bringing the joy of a wish come true to as many children as possible,” Creedon said.
Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic was founded in 1983. In 2019, the organization celebrated 10,000 local wishes. But for every wish granted, at least one more child is waiting. As a local nonprofit, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic relies on local donors to make wishes come true. Some employers will match individual gifts. There are also a variety of partnership options for corporate supporters.
For information on the many ways individuals and corporate partners can support local wishes, visit midatlantic.wish.org or email development@midatlantic.wish.org.
To view a recording of the full event, visit HopeFromHomeDC.org.
