Wish upon a star
Members of the Harlem Wizards alongside Audrey and her family for a fun night of friendly competition and part of the fundraising activities for Wish Week.
Audrey is a 5-year-old girl who loves princesses, the color purple, chocolate cupcakes, popcorn and her family. When dancing and singing to the theme song “Let it Go” from the Disney movie Frozen, Audrey truly shines. Through the efforts of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado, Audrey’s wish of visiting Disney World and Disney princesses came true during Wish Week (WW) at American Academy Castle Pines (AA) last month. Audrey has cystic fibrosis, an inherited disorder that damages lungs and the digestive system.
Throughout WW as the Wish Ambassador, Audrey displayed her excitement while actively taking part in the fundraising efforts. Students, families and the community of AA’s three campuses shared in Audrey’s enthusiasm with the fun-filled week of events. “Wish Week was such an incredible experience to see the kids support Audrey,” said Heather Miller, an AA instructor.
WW kicked off with a basketball game between professional basketball team the Harlem Wizards and the AA teachers home team the Hoopsters. Classrooms competed against each other in coin wars, where students collected coins to the tune of $5,400. Spirit filled the hallways at the campuses with Disney themes and splashes of purple to help spread awareness for cystic fibrosis. Students dressed up as superheroes or wore shirts from their favorite sports team. The student council ran a special store where students bought Disney items and wore Mickey ears as part of the fundraising efforts. Campus front lobbies were decorated with Make-A-Wish stars for dollar donations. The week of activities surpassed AA’s goal of $15,000, raising a total of $18,000, making it possible to grant three future wishes.
American Academy Wish Week Ambassador, princess Audrey, wearing a big smile during her visit to Disney World.
“A complete heart explosion for all you and our AA families have done to make this beyond memorable for our family. We are forever grateful,” said Tiffany Gerard, Audrey’s aunt.
Make-A-Wish Foundation creates life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. In 2015, Make-A-Wish Israel conducted a study to measure how wish-granting experiences influence medical outcomes of children with critical illnesses. The results revealed that wishes increase hope while improving the child’s emotional and physical health.
For more information, visit wish.org.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Eric Rhymer, American Academy Castle Pines campus’ school resource officer, dressed up as Kristoff from Frozen to drive Audrey to her sendoff wish: a trip to Disney World.
By Julie Matuszewski; photos courtesy of American Academy
