and Honor Your Valentine!

In lieu of chocolates or flowers this Valentine’s Day – consider making a donation in your Valentine’s name and help grant the wish of

Angela, a 4 year-old from Holbrook,
who wishes to go to Disney this March.

Make a donation and we will send
a special Valentine acknowledgment card to your loved one.

To donate, please download this order form and mail or fax back your information.
If you’d like to donate by phone – please call us at 631-585-9474.

When Colin’s adoring parents, Jennifer and Keith, contacted Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Suffolk County they were hoping to give their shy yet bright-eyed son a special gift to make his exhausting treatment more bearable. Above all, they wanted to see their son, who has endured so much pain, smile.

After Colin was presented with the opportunity to have a wish granted, he cheerfully chose a family trip to the Atlantis Resort in the tropical Bahamas. His wish was to experience something that so many children dream of—swimming with dolphins!

The trip to the Bahamas, taken halfway through Colin’s treatment, was a rare chance for the entire family to simply relax, escape from the everyday and take pleasure in the company of loved ones.

Colin’s family felt that this special trip halfway through treatment would renew Colin’s spirit and give him the strength to get through the second half.

“We thought it was important to give Colin normalcy,” said Jennifer. “It was an amazing, amazing experience.”

During their extraordinary trip to Atlantis, Colin’s family enjoyed lounging in the sun by the many pools, visiting the colorful marine life at the aquarium, and most of all, seeing their son smile. Colin fulfilled his wish of swimming with the dolphins and spent hours playing in the children’s water park!

Colin’s wish trip to Atlantis served not only as a rejuvenating force to the courageous 5-year-old, but to his whole family, who have been with him every step of the fight.

“Truly,” said a tearful Jennifer. “I have not seen my son smile as much as he did in those seven days.”

Like so many other little girls, 3-year-old Melissa from Bayshore dreams of being a beautiful princess. So when the vivacious toddler, who has Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, was presented with a chance to have a wish granted her thoughts immediately went to the sparkling princesses of Disney World!

Melissa, along with her mother, Nancy, and her father, Juan, went on the much awaited vacation to Disney on April 27. Together, they explored the Magic Kingdom and fulfilled Melissa’s dream of meeting the many beautiful Disney princesses.

Before Melissa and her family’s departure to Disney World, they went to a send off party with her wish grantor, Yvette, and a staff member. The send off party took place on April 12 at Kay Cameron Jewelry store in Sayville, NY.

Kay and her staff made sure that Melissa felt like a princess by decorating the whole store with pink and purple balloons and serving delicious cupcakes and juice. They also presented her with a brand new princess doll. Melissa enjoyed the send off party with her family and even wore a sparkling tiara!

Kay Cameron Jewelers of Sayville is actively involved in Jewelers for Children, a charity devoted to supporting children’s organizations. Jewelers for Children was founded in 1999 with the mission of helping children in need. Since its inception, JFC has donated more than $35 million to programs benefiting children whose lives have been affected by illness, abuse, or neglect through charity partners such as Make-A-Wish Foundation.

A special acknowledgment was presented to James at the chapter’s recent gala “Bouquet of Wishes”. Please enjoy the following feature!

JAMES AT “BOUQUET OF WISHES”!

This Friday is National Believe Day and we’re celebrating with Macy’s Double Donation Day and Wishes Across America! Macy’s will donate an extra $1 to the Foundation for every letter received on December 9. Just drop off your stamped letters to Santa at any Macy’s special Santa letterbox to help make wishes come true. As part of this special day, more than 50 wishes will be granted at Macy’s locations across the country.

One of Kyle’s wish granters, Dave Gussaroff, was given the chance to experience the wish with Kyle – a special opportunity that occurs during most local celebrity wishes. On December 12th, 2009, Kyle, his mom, his mom’s fiancé, his sister, and Dave were all whisked away by limousine to Nassau Coliseum, home of the Islanders. When they arrived, the excited group was welcomed at the entrance by an Islanders’ PR representative and taken to a greeting area at ice-level, where Kyle was able to watch the players stretch and warm up before the game. He was then given an authentic Islanders jersey with his name printed across the back, a gift that would come in handy later on!

When Dave and Kyle’s family were brought to their seats for the game, Kyle was invited to step out onto the ice to drop the first puck! A carpet was rolled out over the ice as Kyle walked to the center of the rink and an announcer relayed Kyle’s story to the spectators. Not only was Dave extremely impressed by all the fanfare Kyle received, but also the way Kyle handled the crowd. “He was so calm and collected out there. And he was waving like a pro!” The crowd responded with a standing ovation. What Kyle didn’t know was that his favorite player of all time, Trent Hunter, was waiting in the wings to face off with the opponent. Hunter skated out to greet an astonished Kyle while a player from the opposing team, the Boston Bruins, went to meet Trent at center ice. Kyle was also pleased to see that the Bruins sent out Zdeno Chara. At 6’ 9”, Chara is the tallest player ever to play in the NHL. The game itself was fun and thrilling for everyone – the Isles won 2-1 in overtime!

After the game, Kyle and his family were escorted back to the greeting area, where many of the Islanders stayed to sign autographs and to chat. Each one of them signed Kyle’s new personalized jersey, along with other Islander paraphernalia that Kyle had brought with him, plus spending extra time talking with him. Even the head coach, Scott Gordon, made it a point to speak with the VIP. After chatting for a while, Trent Hunter made Kyle’s day complete by signing a top-of-the-line hockey stick and giving it to him as a special keepsake!

Kyle was then given a tour of the locker room, the dressing room with all the equipment and the gym where the team works out. After, it was time to wrap up Kyle’s wish. The group was all smiles as they headed back home in the limo, reflecting on all the incredible highlights of the day. Just as the Islanders will always have a fan in Kyle, there is no doubt that Kyle will always have a fan in the Islanders!

Twelve-year-old Justin from Lindenhurst can now add “world traveler” to his list of accomplishments! As Justin is challenged with seizure disorder and the inability to verbalize, his mother, Jenny, was very helpful in determining an appropriate and amazing wish experience. Since Jenny’s family is from China, the staff and volunteers at Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Suffolk County, NY, Inc. worked diligently to put together a trip to Hong Kong!
Last June, Justin and his family traveled to the majestic city to explore its many famous sites. Their busy itinerary included a stay at the Disneyland Hotel and a visit to the world-renowned Disneyland parks. Of course, all of Justin’s favorite characters were there to welcome him with open arms! The family stayed at the luxurious Renaissance Kowloon Hotel for the remainder of their time in the city proper. Then, it was off to Chengdu, where Jenny’s family resides.
During this much-anticipated occasion, two very important milestones were reached: not only was Justin able to meet his great-grandfather for the first time, but he also had the special opportunity to celebrate his 99th birthday! To put a finishing touch on the festivities, Justin’s great-grandfather proudly rode around on his bicycle for everyone to see! As if all of this wasn’t enough positive stimulation for Justin, another family member treated him to an outing to the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center. While there, Justin got the chance to hold a panda cub and take pictures with his new little friend. More valuable than any souvenir, Justin brought home beautiful memories to cherish for years to come.
Justin’s magnificent wish was granted in honor and in memory of Duncan K. Wang, a dear friend of Make-A-Wish of Suffolk County. Duncan served as a member of the Board of Directors and became the chapter’s President and CEO in 2000. Even after he decided to move to Singapore, he continued to dedicate his time and talents to the organization’s mission by establishing the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Singapore. Thanks to Duncan’s commitment, the Singapore chapter has fulfilled close to 500 wishes since its inception. Duncan would have been excited about Justin’s wish and happy to know that he had such a fantastic adventure.