Make-A-Wish Foundation Raises $440,000 to Grant Wishes to Critically Ill Children

On April 14, Make-A-Wish Foundation Greater Bay Area hosted its first-ever virtual Evening of Wishes gala, streamed live from the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco and hosted by ABC7 anchor, Ama Daetz. This year’s theme was Hope & Harmony, which showcased the wonderful ways the nonprofit’s wish community works together in harmony to bring hope to wish kids and their families.

The highlight of the evening was three inspiring wish kid stories revolving around music-themed wishes. Make-A-Wish shared the stories of 13-year-old Sofia who lives with a heart condition and had a wish to be a pop star; 18-year-old Christian, who has lymphoma, loves R&B and hip hop and wants to operate his own music studio; and five-year-old heart patient Valeria whose wish to sing on stage was granted when she performed her favorite song from the Disney movie Moana at the Concord Pavilion.

Make a wish Valeria

The event also included additional red carpet interviews with wish alums, a special performance from Bay Area native and singer-songwriter Michael Franti, and a sing-along performance by The Peter Pan Foundation led by Founding Artistic Director, Leslie Noel Hansen. The program also included an online auction, hosted by Liam Mayclem, consisting of exclusive getaways, wine packages, signed memorabilia, and more.

make a wish sofia

During the event, Make-A-Wish honored Dr. Paul Fisher, the Chief of the Division of Child Neurology at Stanford Children’s Health and Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Stanford Medicine, with a Make-A-Wish Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Fisher has referred more than 300 children to the nonprofit over the past 25 years. Make-A-Wish also established an Endowment for Mission Delivery in his honor, which will provide funds into perpetuity to support its mission.

The event’s fundraising total will allow Make-A-Wish to grant the wishes of 44 children with critical illnesses in the greater Bay Area. A wish transforms the lives of children, their families, volunteers, supporters, medical professionals, and entire communities.

Sponsors for Hope & Harmony included PlayStation, Bay Alarm, BHM Construction, The Magic Beans, Nelson, PwC and Trusted Choice.


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Donna Berry GlassDonna Berry Glass is a freelance writer in Marin County who writes mostly about family and kid-oriented topics. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with her family exploring the natural beauty of Marin, snuggling with her Cavalier King Charles spaniel while reading a good book or whipping up something delicious in her space-challenged kitchen. Donna is a supporter of the California Academy of Sciences, a world class science museum and research institution, and the Institute on Aging which provides much needed services to seniors and disabled individuals.