Vanderbilt WishMakers to Host Hula Wish Surprise
NASHVILLE -- In the past year, Hendersonville’s 16-year-old Colton Bruner has undergone a bone marrow transplant and treatments for x-linked lymphoproliferative disease, an immune system malignancy. While in treatment, a Make-A-Wish volunteer told Colton he was eligible for a wish. Colton wished to go on a vacation to Hawaii with his family and now thanks to the Make-A-Wish foundation of Middle Tennessee and a group of dedicated students, Colton’s wish has been granted.
While Colton was undergoing treatment, Vanderbilt students gave up 6 winter week-ends raking leaves for donations. They didn’t let the rainy and snowy weather get in the way of their goal to earn more than $5,000 to make Colton’s wish possible.
This is the second wish that the Vanderbilt WishMakers have sponsored. In the winter of 2007, they raised funds for Jerel Kennedy’s Wish To Go on a Caribbean Cruise. On returning from their wish trip Jerel’s parents said, “This cruise enhanced his vision of life itself and gave him a new perspective of the world in which he lives. His motivation has grown to the point where he would like to one day grant a wish to someone else in his situation.” Jerel inspired the Vanderbilt WishMakers to continue their efforts to make another wish come true. Colton’s wish celebration will be in honor of Jerel’s goal to help make more wishes come true.
Thursday afternoon, Colton and his family were treated to a complimentary dinner at O’Charley’s, Colton’s favorite restaurant. Following dinner, Colton’s family accompanied him to the Vanderbilt campus, where he visited the Chi Omega house for the first time, not suspecting that it is the location of a celebration in his honor. The Wishmakers surprised him with the trip to Hawaii and celebrated with a small ceremony and a congratulatory cake. Colton was completely shocked to learn that his wish was granted and can’t wait to spend a week in Hawaii with his family.
The Vanderbilt Wishmakers were really excited to meet Colton and give him the great news about his wish. “The Wishmakers are really excited about the wish,” said Wishgrantor and sophomore Savannah Hicks before the reveal. “Knowing that this teenage boy will have his wish fulfilled because of the work that our group has done is very rewarding”. To become involved with the Vanderbilt Wishmakers and help grant wishes to other children with life-threatening medical conditions, contact Hicks at savannah.e.hicks@vanderbilt.edu.
About Vanderbilt WishMakers
Vanderbilt WishMakers is the first collegiate organization benefiting the Make-a-Wish® Foundation established in Tennessee. Its mission is to enrich the lives of those children afflicted with life-threatening medical conditions.
There are three primary means whereby members of the Vanderbilt community may become involved in this organization. Students age 21 and over may train to become wish granters, they may engage in organizational fundraising events such as rake-a-thons to accrue the monetary resources necessary to sponsor a child's wish, or students may become a Kids for Wish Kids coordinator, which entails fostering Make-a-Wish® beneficiary programs at elementary, middle, and high schools in 38 Middle Tennessee Counties. For more information, please visit the Vanderbilt WishMakers website at www.vanderbilt.edu/wish
About The Make-A-Wish Foundation ®
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Born in 1980 when a group of caring individuals helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 67 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 161,000 wishes in the U.S. since inception.
The Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation®, the youngest Make-a-Wish Chapter in the country, recently won national awards for Performance Excellence and for the 2008 Infinite Wish – a wish that involved the entire community. The Middle Tennessee chapter has granted more than 650 wishes since its founding in 2000. To refer a child with a life-threatening medical condition, call 615-259-2324 Ext 11. Individuals can make donations or donate frequent flyer miles at www.midtnwishes.org, call 615-259-2324 Ext 15, or send donations to The Make-A-Wish® Foundation of Middle Tennessee, 209 10th Avenue South, Suite 527, Nashville, TN, 37203.
