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Wishmaking Monthly
Help the 27th Annual Adopt-A-Wish Holiday Campaign
Last year,  Make-A-Wish Northeast New York  granted TWENTY wishes from the funds generated by the Adopt-A-Wish Holiday Campaign. We can do better ... with your help!

We still need volunteers to staff our booths – and have we got a deal for you. The next 10 people who sign up for and work a pair of three-hour shifts will get this limited edition Make-A-Wish Northeast New York tote bag, suitable for anything from holiday shopping to the beach.

You will also be entered into a grand prize drawing. Details to come.

Sign up for and work four or more shifts, and you will be entered in the grand prize drawing, even if you were not among the first 10 to sign up.

Already worked four or more shifts? THANKS!!!! And we got you covered. You are entered in the grand prize drawing (and will not count against the 10).

The time to act is now. This campaign is vital to our mission of creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, and we can't do this without you.

And you know you want that bag.
Luke Hoag Brings the Joy on Believe Day
ALBANY – Make-A-Wish Northeast New York wish ambassador Luke Hoag strode into Macy’s at Colonie Center bringing the joy – and a whole bunch of letters.

Boxes of them. A busload, actually. Again.

Luke, a Hoosick Falls 12-year-old, began delivering letters to Santa to Macy’s on Believe Day in 2015. This December, his fifth campaign, he beamed as he walked past cheering Macy’s employees, smiling shoppers and the media to the Believe mailbox. He started unloading a sack of letters, stopping after a few dozen.

“I’ll put the rest in later,” he said to laughter.
Wishing, Giving and Believing
Colonie Center Busy Hosts
Over the span of 24 hours, Colonie Center hosted three Make-A-Wish Northeast New York events: The Day of Wishes telethon and Evening of Giving (which also involved other nonprofits) on Thursday, Dec. 5, and Macy's National Believe Day on Dec. 6. Thank you to everyone at the mall!
Chapter's 1,900th Wish a First for Wish Alum Turned Wish Granter Justice White
Working on a chilly November morning through the afternoon until darkness creeped in, a team of wish granters – including a wish alum – and other volunteers labored to make a milestone wish possible for wish kid Liam just days shy of his sixth birthday.

Liam’s wish to have an adaptive playset was the 1,900th wish granted by Make-A-Wish Northeast New York since the chapter began granting wishes in 1987.

About 25 volunteers and family came out to help, including wish granters Michael and Eileen Dashnaw and Justice White (pictured with Liam) – all of whom live nearby. White, 19, is a 2005 wish alum who has since raised money for the chapter and Make-A-Wish® America by collecting a half-million letters for the Macy’s Believe campaign and jumping out of an airplane as part of Wish Jump. This was her first wish as a wish granter.
Cole Heading Across the Pond for Dream Fixture
We'll translate that headline: Make-A-Wish Northeast New York wish kid Cole is heading to England, where he will see his favorite soccer team, Liverpool, play at its historic stadium Anfield against rival Manchester United – which just happens to be his brother's favorite team. "This experience has been breathtaking," Cole said.
OUR FRIENDS AT FRANKLIN PLAZA IN TROY hosted a festive Holiday Party just ahead of the major early December snowstorm. Wish families raved over the decor, food, treats and, of course, Santa. Special thanks goes out to Michael Fusco for a memorable day.
OUR NORTH COUNTRY VOLUNTEERS are an especially dedicated lot, and chapter staff said thanks at an appreciation event in Plattsburgh after our North Country Adopt-A-Wish Holiday Campaign kickoff in November.
Ski with Olympian Weibrecht at Whiteface for Make-A-Wish
As you make your early season ski plans now, plan ahead for a great day of skiing in March at  Whiteface  to benefit  Make-A-Wish Northeast New York . This full day will feature Andrew Weibrecht, half-price lift tickets, a free-ski and race with (and against) an Olympian, a raffle and more!
Thanking Unsung Heroes this Holiday Season
By now, if you have visited an area mall, a Trustco Bank branch, the Price Chopper/Market 32 Capital Holiday Lights in the Park in Albany or other select businesses and schools, you have seen our Adopt-A-Wish Holiday Campaign stars available for a donation to support wishes.

This vital fundraiser that stretches across the 15 counties we serve involves months of coordination, a telethon, sponsors and hundreds of volunteers. We are constantly humbled by those who so freely give of their time and treasure to contribute to our mission of creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Still, all of those efforts would mean little if not for the generous residents of the Capital Region, Tri-County Area and North Country who donate in person and online at neny.wish.org – often anonymously, with little fanfare.

We may not always know who you are, but we know what you are – heroes to wish kids and their families.

You have our sincerest thanks and gratitude. Everyone at Make-A-Wish Northeast New York wishes you and yours the best of holiday seasons.

Sincerely,

Bill Trigg,  CEO, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York