My name is Maggie Arnold, and I have the privilege to serve as our 2022 Make-A-Wish Chair. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is dear to all of us here in Delta Alpha, and we are lucky to be able to serve them right here in Chattanooga. We work closely with the office staff when it comes to fundraising for philanthropy events, participating in local Make-A-Wish volunteer events, and more recently we have begun training sisters to become Wish Granters in the Chattanooga area. Working closely with the office staff and experiencing firsthand the children we are raising money for has given me an entirely new perspective on what it means to be a Chi Omega. To shed light on this perspective, I would like to share with you the wish that started it all.
In 1978, a 5-year-old boy named Christopher was diagnosed with leukemia and given 3 years to live. He told his mom that in his 3 years left, he was going to become a police officer. In 1980, 2 Phoenix police officers helped make that dream come true. Chris went for a ride in a helicopter, where he was sworn into the police department and was given an official badge. Chris passed away days later, and two of the Arizona police officers traveled to his burial place in Illinois to give him a full police officer funeral. The group of people who made this wish happen knew that there were more children out there who needed what they were able to give Chris in his final days, and they are now recognized as the founders of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Now, spreading over 50 countries, more than 480,000 wishes have been granted since Christopher.
But a wish is more than just going to Disney World, becoming a Nashville Predator for a day, or meeting Michael Jordan. A wish gives children the strength they need to battle their critical illnesses. They restore hope in the child and their family and inspire them to defy the odds. Here in Chi Omega, we are grateful and honored to partner with this foundation that creates such a tremendous impact in the lives of wish kids.
Chi O love and mine,
Maggie Arnold
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