Make-A-Wish Update: Raising the Bar
SAINT LEO, Fla. - Since as long as anyone can remember, children across the world have been told that if they make a wish upon a star that they see in the night sky, their wish will come true. To this day, young people and old people alike believe in the power of wishing upon stars, mostly because it gives them something to believe in. What most people do not know, however, is that astrologists estimate that there are about 10 thousand stars that can be seen from the Earth without the help of a telescope, which means that as Saint Leo University inches closer to its goal of raising $10,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, wishes are most certainly coming true.
As many people know, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children that have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. Because many children receive expensive treatments for their illnesses, the foundation relies on fundraising and donations from people and organizations across the nation to help grant the wishes of children who qualify for the program. The Make-A-Wish foundation states that it takes about $5,000 to grant each wish, so the goal of the Saint Leo University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the 2011-2012 school year was to raise enough money to grant two wishes, which comes to around $10,000.
After the Student Government Union donation at the beginning of the school year, the Women’s Lacrosse inaugural home opener on February 17th ranks second among the list of major donations that the SAAC has seen all year. Just as Saint Leo University’s President Dr. Arthur F. Kirk Jr., his staff, and Professor Dr. Robert Cabot promised, donations were made for every student that attended the game. In what has been one of Saint Leo’s largest gatherings to come together at an athletic event, 732 were present to watch as the Women’s Lacrosse team play their first-ever home game. Thanks to faculty and student support, the donations on February 17th alone tallied about $2,260, which brings the current Make-A-Wish total to about $7,900.
Although the current total is much higher than last year’s donation of about $5,300, the Saint Leo University SAAC is not giving up until they reach their goal of $10,000. With employee denim days, raffles, and pass-the-hat donations on the schedule for March and April, SAAC representatives are definitely hopeful.
“We’re going to make it,” says junior Women’s Soccer player Andrea Lott, who is the head of the Make-A-Wish operation at Saint Leo. “It’s been our goal from the beginning and I truly believe that we can make two children’s wishes come true.”
Just as Saint Leo University graduate and undergraduate students hail from every nook and cranny of the nation and the globe, the SAAC is aware that children across the United States are making wishes on stars every single day. Although they can’t grant the wish of every child in the world, they are working diligently to raise as many dollars as there are stars.
If you are interested in donating to the Make-A-Wish Foundation through Saint Leo University, please contact Erika Brennan at Erika.brennan@saintleo.edu.
Story written by Katie Gwinn.
