Make-A-Wish Maine is pleased to share the results of the largest fundraising event in the chapter’s history, the 30th Anniversary Gala. On June 3, the celebration took place at the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine. Backed by the organization’s founders, long-time sponsors, donors and volunteers, the event was held in the Midcoast since it is the birthplace of the Maine chapter. 

The event raised a record-setting $570,000. This represents the single-largest fundraising event in Make-A-Wish Maine’s 30-year history.

“We are in awe of the generosity of the Make-A-Wish Maine community and so grateful for their support,” says President & CEO Kate Vickery. “This evening was not only a celebration of the past 30 years, but an opportunity to strengthen the future of Make-A-Wish Maine. This summer, we will be granting a wish every three days, on average. This support will make a direct impact on our mission and will be transformative for the families we work with.”

The 30th Anniversary Gala featured wish stories from the past 30 years, including Ricky’s wish in 2008 which was to give Maranacook High School’s football field a renovation to allow them to have Friday Night Lights games. Ricky was 15 years old when he made his wish and the community rallied around him, in awe of his generous spirit.

“The mission of Make-A-Wish just cannot be understated. It was a beacon of light in total darkness and it allowed us to focus on seeing whatever joy could be brought to him,” recounts Ricky’s mom Lisa, nearly 15 years after his wish.

At the Gala, Make-A-Wish Maine also looked ahead: 13-year-old wish kid Conner learned his wish to go to Hawaii would be coming true. His wish granting volunteer, Jack Bjorn, is a Wish Alum himself and the current Chair-Elect for the Make-A-Wish Maine Young Leaders Council. Jack shared that his own wish was to go to Hawaii back in 2010 before giving the good news to wish kid Conner that his wish would also be coming true sometime in the months ahead!

“Like many wish kids before me and after me, I was in need of some hope, some inspiration, and some peace of mind,” Jack said at the event. “Being able to share my experience with others and be a small part of other wishes coming true means the world to me. Seeing the look on a wish kid’s face, experiencing that elation alongside him or her, and knowing the difference it will make on his or her life, is indescribable.”

As a finale to the event, another student from Maranacook High School wished to give back when she became eligible for a wish. Battling cancer, seventeen-year-old Alexis Michaud wished for a softball field renovation and was present at the Gala for the unveiling of the new scoreboard, just a part of the inspiring wish ahead of her.

“We are honored to grant Alexis’s wish, another philanthropic wish child to come out of Maranacook High School,” says Kate Vickery. “It is incredible to see the legacy left behind as she chose to make a difference for future generations of softball players at her high school.”

This event kicks off the year-long celebration of Make-A-Wish Maine’s 30-year anniversary. The 30th Anniversary Gala was made possible due to the following; Presenting Partners: Camden National Bank and Viking Lumber; Lead Partners: Allen Insurance & Financial and O’Hara Corporation; Wish Partner: Bill Dodge Auto Group; Legacy Partners: Diana Bean, Prock Marine Company, Rockport Steel, and United Insurance; Visionary Partners: Bernstein Shur, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Homeshare, Richard Brothers, Spinnaker Trust, and Turner Construction; Ambassador Partners: Agren Appliance, First National Bank, Fixtures Designer Plumbing Showroom, and Philbrook & Associates.

A special thanks also goes to our event partners: WGME CBS13, Down East Magazine, Headlight Audio Visual, Sea Bags, Seasons Downeast Designs, Katie Kelly Photography, and Ken Hess Videography.

About Make-A-Wish Maine

Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Since 1992, we have granted over 1,700 wishes. This summer, the organization expects to grant a wish an average of one wish every three days – with a total of 75 wishes scheduled for the fiscal year. All money raised in Maine stays in Maine. All wish expenses are fully covered by Make-A-Wish. Make-A-Wish Maine is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and all contributions are tax deductible. The Maine chapter has over 200 volunteers statewide, and a staff of eight. Our office is located at 66 Mussey Road in Scarborough. For more information about Make-A-Wish Maine, visit www.maine.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.