CHEYENNE, WY – Thursday’s Make-A-Wish night at Laramie County Community College was a success as multiple families who have been able to take part in the Wyoming chapter of the foundation were recognized during the Golden Eagles match against Northeastern Junior College.
The night was an opportunity to bring more eyes to the work that is done by Make-A-Wish in Wyoming.
“There are many misconceptions about Make-A-Wish, and we are so grateful to LCCC for hosting a Make-A-Wish night to help us spread awareness about our mission and the children we serve,” Make-W-Wish Wyoming CEO Morgan Poloncic said. “There is a misconception that Make-A-Wish is only a national organization, but as the Wyoming chapter we are our own 501c3, meaning the funds we raise in Wyoming stay in Wyoming to grant the wishes of local children.”
LCCC Head Volleyball Coach Zach Shaver has close ties to the Make-A-Wish program and was proud to be able to make them a part of the evening.
“As a father of a Make-A-Wish recipient I can’t express enough gratitude to the staff and volunteers of the foundation for the incredible work they do,” Shaver said. “They truly bring joy and relief to children and their families in difficult times. Our family will forever be grateful to the Make-A-Wish foundation for the experience and memories they helped to create!”
During the intermission between the second and third sets, several families that have had their children’s wishes granted and Poloncic said a few words about some of the misconceptions that go along with the program.
“People often believe we only work with children who have terminal conditions; however, any child between the ages of 2.5 and 18 with a critical illness may be eligible for a wish,” Poloncic said.
There were donations collected during the night, but Poloncic said she felt the biggest impact came from the awareness that was brought during the evening.
“Right now, we are working to grant the wishes of 37 children across the state, and we are thankful for partners like LCCC helping us spread awareness so that each of those kids can experience the joy of having their greatest wish come true!”
For more information on the Wyoming Make-A-Wish chapter, you can visit https://wish.org/wyoming. For more on LCCC Golden Eagle athletics, please visit www.golccc.com.