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Wishmaking Monthly
Walk Your Way: Together ...
Or Apart on Saturday, Aug. 1!
Make-A-Wish Northeast New York is encouraging participants in this year’s Seventh Annual Walk For Wishes to participate and keep hope alive for wish kids waiting for their wish.

This year’s Walk will be like no other – and at a time when the chapter needs the community’s support like never before.

For its Walk this year, Make-A-Wish is offering all participants a first-time option:  Take part in a socially distanced Walk at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium in Troy, or; participate virtually at that time anywhere they wish.

The “ Together … And Apart! ” Walk, a response to the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic, is designed with the safety of all participants in mind. 

Virtual participants can follow the open ceremony at The Joe, as the event will be streamed live on the Make-A-Wish Northeast New York Facebook page . 

Regardless of where people choose to walk, those interested are urged to sign up as individuals or teams for this FREE event today at site.wish.org/walkneny . 

Not only is the format for the Walk unique, but also the circumstances surrounding it. The support of the community to this year’s event is critical to the chapter. Each year, sponsors, wish families, community groups, neighbors, businesses and friends join together to raise funds to make wishes come true – and for many to pay it forward so more families have the same opportunity for a life-changing wish experience.

“More than ever before, this year’s Walk is key to our mission of creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses,” said William C. Trigg, III, CEO of Make-A-Wish Northeast New York. “We are confident the Make-A-Wish community and the many others who share the belief that hope is essential for wish kids and their families will help us meet this pressing challenge.”

Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, like many businesses, organizations, and families has been adversely affected by the coronavirus outbreak in numerous ways, including significant loss of revenue. Earlier this year, the chapter transitioned its When Stars Align Gala from an in-person event to an online-only celebration. While that Virtual Gala proved a success, there is still much that needs to be done to ensure that the chapter is able to fulfill its mission.

Most travel and other select wishes are presently on hold per the directive of Make-A-Wish ® America. But once they resume, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York aims to be on sound financial footing to fulfill its vision of granting wishes to every eligible child in the 518 and 838 area codes. In addition to the 50 local wishes now on hold, more wish referrals are coming into the chapter. Make-A-Wish Northeast New York is looking at the potential of granting a record number of wishes in the coming fiscal year – but will need to raise the necessary funds to do so.

There are many ways to support the Walk For Wishes, including sponsorships starting at $500. There are also two very unique and special opportunities for supporters to sponsor a Route Marker or participate in the Wishing Way – a special section of the route designed to give participants the opportunity to honor or memorialize wish children that have affected their lives. If interested in these and other sponsorship opportunities, please contact Director of Development, Kirsten Broschinsky at or 518-456-9474.
A #GalaForAll Like No Other
Wish kid Brady opened and closed the 22nd Annual
Make-A-Wish Northeast New York When Stars Align Virtual Gala.

For the first time, the annual Make-A-Wish Northeast New York Gala was "attended" not by hundreds, but thousands.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York switched its 22nd Annual When Stars Align Gala, originally slated for the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Springs on March 28, to a rescheduled online-only affair held more than two months later.

The virtual program aired on Facebook and YouTube on June 4. The video reached more than 3,000 on the platforms.

“Instead of a ballroom, our Make-A-Wish family joined us in their living room to celebrate the power of a wish and help transform the lives of children,” chapter CEO William C. Trigg, III, said. "The pandemic prevented us from having an in-person event, but nothing will stop us from serving wish kids and families."

The Virtual Gala featured co-hosts Benita Zahn of WNYT NewsChannel 13 and Chad O’Hara of B95.5 FM, and two wish alumni: Hannah Hughes and Dante Gallucci. Two wishes were highlighted: Cameron's custom computer build -- in a video he made himself with his wish -- and Isla's to swim with dolphins, as told by her mom, Noelle Gentile.

Due to the fact that the event could be viewed for free, (and there was no cost to register for the online auction, wine/liquor pull, raffle or to donate), this event was tacked with the hashtag #GalaForAll. The chapter saw a significant increase in first-time donors and smaller donations -- and every single dollar was greatly appreciated.
With This Walk, We March On as We Must
In my 16 years as CEO of Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, the chapter has never confronted the series of challenges resembling those presented by the coronavirus pandemic. The crisis has affected all facets of how we do business, from wish granting to fundraising.

At the same time, I have never been more proud of, and grateful for, our Make-A-Wish community, from donors to staff, wish families to volunteers and so many others. Thanks to all of you, these challenges will be met.

Even as we remain socially distanced if not physically isolated, we have come together. We saw that at our Virtual Gala. We see that with volunteer wish granters meeting with families over the Internet. And we will see that next month at The Joe, and in neighborhoods throughout the 15 counties we serve.

As you've read, our Walk For Wishes on Aug. 1 at The Joe will be different this year, a combination of a live and virtual event. This is not something we initially envisioned. Of course, we also did not originally foresee our Gala being a mini-documentary on social media, or many of our events being outright canceled. But we have adapted, and will continue to do so.

Hope is essential to wish kids, a truth never more evident than in these trying times. And wishes are essential to providing that hope.

So, with your continued support, we will continue to persevere, with due diligence and a keen eye always turned toward safety.

Not only because we should, but because we must.


With immense gratitude,



Bill Trigg

CEO, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York