Page 83 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2017

GIVING BACK wishes do come true
Make-A-Wish Mississippi is a non-profit organization that grants wishes to children suffering from life- threatening medical conditions. The chapter’s main office is in Ridgeland and the Southern Region office is located in Gulfport. The Mississippi chapter was founded in 1984 in memory of a little girl in Gulfport.
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children ages 2 1/2 to 18 years. As the mission statement puts it, “Making
a difference is about spreading the message of optimism and hope. For a child with a life-threatening medical condition, a wish experience can give back what the illness takes away and lets kids, just be kids!”
“We believe that a wish experience can be a game-changer. This one
belief guides us. It inspires us to grant wishes that change the lives of the kids we serve,” said Shellie Marengo Moses, South Mississippi director.
Make-A-Wish Mississippi grants more than 100 wishes a year. Although many children’s wish is to go to Disney World, the wishes run the gamut, including such experiences as riding a train, having a special party, or meeting a celebrity.
“We’d like to thank Martin Goldin and Florence Gardens, who completely built a mardi gras float for our wish kids to ride this year, and they had
a blast,” Moses said. “We’d also
like to focus on everyone who gives throughout the year and thank them.”
She adds that as good stewards, the chapter returns 85 percent of all
gifts directly toward the mission of granting once-in-a- lifetime wishes to children battling life-threatening medical conditions.
Make-A-Wish welcomes all donations including one-time
gifts of cash, monthly donations, frequent flier miles, and matching gifts from workplaces. The annual outstanding fundraisers include Martini Shakedown, which held its thirteenth event last July, and the vintage car raffle at Cruisin’ the Coast headquarters in October.
Make-A-Wish
228.575.8691 smoses@ms.wish.org www.bidpal/martinishakedown
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of Make-A-Wish and Florence Gardens
A PROUD SUPPORTER OF
228.861.9500 • www.florencegardens.com
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
December 2017 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 83