Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina

Wish Kid Aaralyn had a wonderful time on her wish trip to San Diego to have an animal encounter! She had the opportunity to meet and interact with some of her favorite animals, such as elephants and giraffes- how cute! We are so happy for Aaralyn and her family.?? #WishGranted

It's officially March Madness and to celebrate we are highlighting Overby Marine’s Battle of the Blues watch party! Friends came together not just to watch the UNC vs Duke basketball game, but to raise money to grant life-changing wishes for local children battling critical illnesses. This exciting event raised $16,500- Wow! Thank you to our incredible board member, Joe Overby, Overby Marine, and everyone who attended this event, for making a powerful impact for wish kids from the Triangle to the coast!

Join us in congratulating Serina and Olivia on their milestones with Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina! Serina is celebrating two years in her role as Volunteer Manager, and Olivia is celebrating one year as our Director of Corporate Partnerships. We are so lucky to have these women on our team. We could not do what we do without their hard work each and every day! Congratulations, Serina and Olivia ????

Just over a year ago we granted Indi’s wish to give gifts to the children at UNC Children’s Hospital, marking our chapter’s 4,500th wish! What an incredible day! We are honored to grant wishes like Indi’s for children battling critical illnesses from the Triangle to the coast ??

Wish kid Jeremiah and his family leave for their wish trip to @WaltDisneyWorldResort next week- how exciting! Jeremiah is especially excited to meet some of his favorite characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Daisy Duck! We hope you have the best time, Jeremiah ??

We are just two short weeks away from this year’s Wishmaker’s Gala and we are beyond grateful to our hope sponsors, O'Brien Service Company and Perry’s Emporium! We can’t wait to celebrate the power of a wish and those who make wish granting possible. ??

We loved having the NC State Rising Leader’s Program come and volunteer with us last week! They came to the office to create personalized folders for several of our local wish kids- how fun! We are so grateful for all of our volunteers who help grant local wishes. We could not do what we do without their passion and support for our mission ????

We are so proud of our VP of Development Mary Elizabeth Bennett! She was invited to speak at her former professor Livis Freeman's career prep and exploration class at UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. "I was delighted to welcome Mary Elizabeth Bennett, one of my most cherished former PR students, back to campus. She shared her inspiring journey from our classroom to her impactful work at Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina!” said Professor Freeman. Mary Elizabeth not only shared her career journey and leadership advice, but also met students and genuinely answered their thoughtful questions. Professor Freeman commented “Mary Elizabeth’s? presentation beautifully demonstrated what purpose-driven career paths can look like." And as an added bonus, Tar Heel legend Tyler Hansbrough was asked to be a guest speaker to students the same day as Mary Elizabeth!

Congratulations to our 16 wish kids whose wishes were granted last month! Camry was one of our fun wishes granted. She wished to go to @disney, and we are so happy for her & her family! This was Camry’s first time visiting @disney, and she was elated to have the opportunity to ride ALL the rides. How exciting! Thank you to everyone who helps grant life-changing wishes for children from the Triangle to the coast! We simply could not do it without you. ????

Today, we are celebrating Ryan Rock, CPA and Kimley-Horn for making a powerful impact for local kids battling a critical illness! Kimley-Horn put on a firm-wide Roll for a Reason (how creative?!) event where employees competed to roll doubles with the goal of giving back to their communities. Ryan won his region, and was able to compete for the top prize! After coming in 4th in the entire firm, he was able to donate $32,000 to the charity of his choice, and we are so honored to have been selected as the recipient?? Thank you for your heart for our mission and congratulations, Ryan! If your company is interested in learning more about all of our unique corporate opportunities to get involved with our mission, email our Director of Corporate Partnerships, Olivia Gibney, at [email protected] today!