Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas

Roses are red, Make-A-Wish stars are blue Today is Valentine's Day, And to all of our wish kids... WE LOVE YOU!

Hey, you! Yes YOU! Are you creative or know someone who is? Have you spent your social distancing time sharpening your craft skills? Do you want a new project to work on over the next few weeks? ... If you answered yes to any of these questions, please reach out to Kelly Nadeau, Community Philanthropy & Event Logistics Manager at Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas to learn more about Bubble Ball for Wishes Sake and how you can be involved as a featured artist! We are looking for local artists and designers to create pieces out of bubble wrap and inspired by the favorite movies of some of our local wish kiddos. Sound like something you’d like to do? Email Kelly now at [email protected] to get started! You don’t want to miss out we have some awesome prizes for our winners!

Calling all artists! Do you want to be featured in this year’s Bubble Ball for Wishes Sake? Our 4th annual Bubble Ball is coming up on March 5 and we still have a few slots left to fill in the sculpture and fashion categories. Each year, local talent creates either a sculpture or an item of clothing with bubble wrap inspired by the favorite movie of one of our wish kiddos! Since the event is going to be both in person and broadcasted live, your work will recognized not ...only locally, but potentially across our whole region and beyond! For more information and to register, please email Kelly Nadeau at [email protected]. You don’t want to miss out we have some awesome prizes for our winners and are so excited to see what you come up with!

On Wednesday, we learned about how Governing Board member, Eric Kruger, initially got involved with our Make-A-Wish chapter. Today we get to learn more about how his work with Make-A-Wish has impacted him personally. "Being a part of the Make-A-Wish organization has impacted me and my family in a number of ways. It has been an honor to serve the families that the organization works with every day and help push the organization towards it's goal of granting a wish for every e...ligible child impacted by critical illness. I’m grateful that I am allowed to work with all of the wonderful people involved with Make-A-Wish on all levels. From a personal perspective, I can certainly say that it has caused me to re-evaluate my priorities and what really matters to me in life. It has also brought me to the realization that at some point I’d like to have a 'second career' that is more focused on helping those in need. Now it is just a matter of finding the right time and place to make that happen." We are so honored to have Board members like Eric who not only work to further our mission, but also believe in the impact of the work we do.

Have you registered for the 4th annual Bubble Ball for Wishes Sake presented by DEG on Friday, March 5th?!?! If not, what are you waiting for?? Registration is FREE! Join us virtually for a unique Make-A-Wish event featuring a bubble wrap fashion show, art gallery exhibit, mission moments, silent and live auction, and much more! This event is free to virtually attend; however, registration is required to participate in the full virtual experience including bidding on fabulou...s silent and live auction items!! Registering is as easy as 1...2...3... 1. Visit www.bubbleballKC.com 2. "Sign In" using your email, Facebook, or Google account 3. Follow the steps to register Registrants will receive a link to view the live stream prior to the March 5th event.

This was a big week for wish kid Davon because he turned 7 years old! His wish granters found out he had really been wanting some new rollerblades, so they decided to bring him a surprise while he waits for his wish. We think he is going to have so much fun rolling around his neighborhood and know he will continue to keep smiling whenever he gets to wear them!

For anyone who is thinking about joining us on our mission to grant the wish of every eligible child, Governing Board of Directors member, Mark Hubbs, says, "What are you waiting for? Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas is a great organization with a great mission. I promise you helping to bring these children joy in their time of need will change your life in a positive way - forever!" If you are ready to get involved, please visit wish.org/get-involved to find all of the ways you can help create hope for local children battling critical illnesses.

Have you registered for the "Walk Talk" on January 19th? If not, what are you waiting for?? (It's free!) Hear from our newest team member, Taylor Rehmer as she discusses our plans to build off of the largest and most successful Walk For Wishes in the country - during the 30-min live virtual discussion! RSVP for the 7:30 AM "Walk Talk" here - bit.ly/walktalkam ... RSVP for the 4:00 PM "Walk Talk" here - bit.ly/pmwalktalk Oh, and don't forget to save the date for the 2021 Walk For Wishes - presented by Spectrum on April 10th, 2021!

Ready to learn more about Governing Board of Directors member, Eric Kruger? In case you missed our post last week, we're excited to take time to recognize and feature the incredible members of our Board. We kicked it off last week when we asked Eric Kruger, VP of Business Development & Analysis at Team Drive-Away, why philanthropy is important to him. Today we get to learn what initially sparked his interest in Make-A-Wish and how he continues to stay involved with our miss...ion - both on and beyond his work on the Board. "My first exposure to Make-A-Wish came through family friends with children dealing with critical illness and that Make-A-Wish had granted wishes for. Talking to the affected families made it crystal clear what a huge impact Make-A-Wish had on their lives and made me want to get involved. This came at a time when my wife and I were looking for a way to support an organization, and more specifically, one that helped children. The stars aligned through a relationship with another Board member and the rest is history! My wife and I both volunteer as wish granters as well, which has only strengthened our connection to the organization." Not only are we extremely grateful for your role on the Governing Board, we are also so thankful to have you and Julianna as volunteer wish granters! Stay tuned for more on Eric and other members of our amazing Governing Board!

Do you have lunch plans yet? If not, we recommend Chick-fil-A! This week, St. Louis area Chick-fil-A restaurants are organizing a give back to grant wishes! From now through Saturday, February 13 participating St. Louis area Chick-fil-As will stores will give back 15% of sales on mobile app orders picked up in drive through!. The app is free to download and easy to use. Enjoy some chicken while you help grant wishes!

We can all think of so many ways our lives have changed over the last 10 months, but one thing that will never change is the power of a wish. Our incredible wish kids are still wishing for life-changing experiences and our awesome volunteers have been able to transition to virtual visits, ensuring safe conversations while still getting to see everyone's face! Referred as soon as she was eligible, Wish Kid Torri is 2.5 years old and is having so much fun coming up with ide...as for her wish with her family and two wish granters. Before the visit, Torri's wish granters surprised her with a pizza delivery to kick off the fun night ahead of her! Torri's night of surprises continued when she sat in front of the computer with her parents and big brother, and her two wish granters popped up, ready to ask her all about her wish! Torri needs a little more time to think about her wish, but we know whatever she chooses will be awesome for her and we can't wait to get started!

Wish Update! Remember Wish Kid Imi? After the first time talking to her wish granters, Imi needed a little more time to think about her wish - it is the biggest decision she has had to make in her life! After a few weeks of brainstorming (and lots of playing inside), we are so excited to share that Imi has picked her wish! Drumroll please... ... Imi wished to have a room redo! She has a ton of really great ideas, so now we are taking those ideas and creating a room fit for the brave princess she knows she is with space to create her art and a super fun spin-off of a tree swing! Keep watching for progress photos as we work to grant Imi's wish!