Spring/Summer 2013

Maddie, 9 neuroblastoma “I wish to go on a cruise”

Wish Story on Back Cover Board of Directors A Message from Our Leadership…. Hank McLarty, Chairperson Gratus Capital Management Rick Elliott, Vice-Chairperson June, July and August are usually the hottest months in United Healthcare Georgia Georgia. Of course -- it‟s summer! Scott A. Hill, Treasurer Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. ® Walter W. Davis, Secretary For Make-A-Wish Georgia, it‟s also our “hottest” time of Jones Day the year. Nearly 40% of our wishes are granted during Ned Allen Make-A-Wish National Representative these three months. Family, work and school schedules Greg Anderson combine to make it the optimum time to make dreams Accenture Susan Been come true for many of our wish kids. Wilson Parker Homes Eric P. Berezin This year, our challenge goal is to grant 425 wishes to Ogletree Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. Vince E. Cole children in Georgia who are battling life-threatening Crawford & Company Timothy Crow medical conditions. During these three summer months, The Home Depot our staff and volunteers will be passionately working to Michael DeKoning Munich American Reassurance Company grant 157 life-changing wishes to these very deserving Patti Dickey children. That‟s an average of more than 12 wishes Dickey Broadcasting Co. Tammy Farley granted each week! Rainmaker Carl Hansson, (Honorary) All of these wishes, during the busy summer months and The Sports Section John Inhouse, III throughout the year, are made possible because of your Merrill Lynch incredible generosity. Your timely support makes our Cathy Lefar W.I.S.H. Society Liaison wish granting possible, child after child, wish by wish. Marc Lefar, (Honorary) Vonage On behalf of our wish kids, their families, and all of our Gary Ludgood AT&T volunteers and staff, we say, “Thank You!” You continue John Moorefield to bringing life-changing hope, strength and joy to Aflac International Mitchell Nelson Georgia‟s most seriously ill children at a time when they Syzygy Solutions Steve Newby need it the most! Summit Midstream Al Petrangeli With sincere appreciation, Balfour Beatty Construction Andrew Steinberg Atlanta Hawks Todd A. Stroup PricewaterhouseCoopers Coy Wire Author and Professional Consultant

Executive Staff Hank McLarty, Board Chairman John J. Brennan, CEO

John J. Brennan, Chief Executive Officer

Becky Burkett, Chief Development Officer Visit us on: Phillip Arrington, VP Finance Fabiola Charles, VP Communications Kari Love, VP Corporate Development & Events We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions Shavette Turner, VP Program Services to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Atlanta Falcons Host „Whacky Bowling‟ Night for Make-A-Wish® Children

Ten families with children battling life-threating medical conditions had an opportunity to participate in a night of ‘Whacky Bowling’ at Dave & Buster’s at Discover Mill with the Atlanta Falcons. The football team was eager to participate in this memorable event with our wish kids and gave them a night to remember! To kick off the fun, families were paired with Falcons players for bowling activities and arcade challenges. The Falcons players challenged our wish kids to shooting hoops, racing cars and fishing for stuffed animals. All of the kids had a great time winning prizes alongside the football players, and wish families were very grateful to have a night to enjoy each others’ company. Every wish kid walked away with a bag full of Falcons gear and a night they will never forget!

Special thanks to Dave & Buster‟s General Manager, Stacy Pruitt, who went above and beyond in helping to coordinate this special evening. We would also like to thank UnitedHealthcare Georgia volunteers who joined us in making this event possible. Spring Events Walk For Wishes The 9th Annual Walk for Wishes took place on April 20, 2013. Over 2,000 participants walked to the Georgia State Capitol and back, where they had an opportunity to enjoy sponsor booths as well as face painting, stadium games and a bounce house. Over 30 corporate teams participated in this signature event, helping Make-A-Wish® Georgia raise over $285,000!

At the event, Wish Kid Ambassadors, Jayden, Gracie and Shuron shared their wish stories and mingled with sponsors and other wish families. Jayden‟s wish was to go to Disney World; Gracie wished to visit the set of her favor- ite television show; and Shuron experienced a wish trip to Hawaii. Because of the success of the Walk, hundreds of other children across Georgia will also be able to experience their wish-come-true this year. We would like to thank our presenting sponsor, Novelis; our Strength sponsors AT&T, Merrill Lynch, MYCOM and Wilson Parker Homes; and our Joy Level sponsor, Accenture!

Tournament of Wishes The 17th Annual Tournament of Wishes took place on May 29, 2013 at the Golf Club of Georgia. Forty-six corporate teams participated in the tournament, representing 36 companies. A silent auction and awards ceremony followed the event, which raised over $270,000 to help grant wishes for children battling life-threatening medical conditions.

Two of our wish recipients, Yancey and Tommy, enjoyed the tournament with their families. Tommy shared reflections from his wish to have his own Hybrid Iron golf clubs and take lessons from a golf professional. Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Novelis; our Platinum Level sponsor, AT&T; Gold Level sponsors: Applied Computer Solutions, EMC2, Hitachi Data Systems, IBM and Openet; our Silver Level sponsors: Amdocs, BMC Software, Cisco Systems, Inc., HP, NetApp, Prosys, Symantec, Tech Mahindra; and all of the Bronze and In-kind sponsors of the event!

To view more photos from these events, please visit our website: http://georgia.wish.org Thanking Our Volunteers

Walk For Wishes Volunteer: Tournament of Wishes Volunteer: Linda Harris Robert Watson STASCO Mechanical, Inc. AT&T Linda has participated in the Robert Watson served on the Walk for Wishes since it began Tournament of Wishes in 2004. Over the past 10 planning committee this year years, she has raised more as the Sponsorship Chairman. than $145,000 for this event! He helped to raise a record Linda was the #1 fundraising breaking $270K+ through the walker for the 2013 Walk for accumulation of 26 key Wishes, raising close to sponsors for the event! Thank $14,000. Thank you Linda for you Robert for your amazing your continued support of our support of our wish-granting wish kids! mission!

We would also like to recognize our Walk for Wishes Chairman, John Inhouse, III and our Tournament of Wishes Chairman, George Georgiou. We are incredibly grateful to our Tournament of Wishes Planning Committee members: Elizabeth Alford, John Cahill, Ashley Gravlee, Will Lowry, Bill Meagher, Holly Stroud Sinos, Wendy Wilkerson and Von Wright. Special thanks to our Walk for Wishes Logistics Committee members Cindy Gray and Paul Wnuk!

W.I.S.H. Society Women Inspiring Strength and Hope Over 200 guests attended the 2nd Annual Evening of Hearts and Wishes at the home of Phil and Carol Martens. Throughout the evening, guests heard from three wish families who shared their personal stories of strength and triumph. The families shared each others‟ resilience in the fight against their child‟s illness, and identified with the hope that their child‟s heartfelt wish brought to their families. Ned and Susie Allen shared reflections about their long-standing commitment as donors, volunteers and advocates for the organization, and had an opportunity on this evening to meet the family of a wish that they sponsored. The evening raised over $100,000 to grant the wishes of local children battling life-threatening illnesses. If you are interested in joining in the efforts of the W.I.S.H. Society, please contact the Make-A-Wish® Georgia office at 770-916-9474.

Wishes Throughout the Year! Make-A-Wish® Georgia is aiming to grant 425 wishes this year and will grant its 6,000th local wish this summer! We know that these children and their families will remember and reflect upon their wish experiences for the rest of their lives. Here are a few of the life-changing wishes we have granted this year!

I Wish To Go...

Nathan, age 9, medulloblastoma Victoria, age 11, Hodgkin‟s lymphoma I wish to go on a Hawaiian cruise I wish to go to the Disney® resort in Hawaii

I Wish To Have...

Aaliyah, age 14, heart transplant Taylor, age 13, large cell lymphoma I wish to have a bass guitar with flames I wish to have two bloodhound puppies

I Wish To Be...

Hadley, age 6, biliary atresia Shae, age 18, germinoma I wish to be a penguin trainer I wish to be a model in NYC

I Wish To Meet...

Braden, age 3, neuroblastoma James, age 8, chronic kidney disease I wish to meet Lightning McQueen I wish to meet John Cena at WWE HOW TO HELP

Right now, there are hundreds of children with life-threatening medical conditions in our towns, neighborhoods and communities, waiting for their wishes to come true. Our goal is to grant 425 wishes this year, and we can only be successful in that with your support. You can make a life-changing difference for our children and know that your donations will remain local, in Georgia. Here is how you can help: CORPORATE GIVING

Sponsor an Event: Corporate sponsors are essential in helping Make-A-Wish® Georgia accomplish its mission. Through the generosity of businesses ranging from family-owned local enterprises to some of the world‟s largest corporations, we are able to Share the Power Of A Wish™. To learn more, please call 888-517-9474 x17.

Employee & Workplace Giving/Company Matching: Employees can donate to Make-A-Wish® Georgia through existing employee contribution programs or by hosting special events. Many companies match employee donations and corporate teams can participate in our annual Walk or Golf events to raise money as a team while providing the benefit of a corporate presence. To learn more, please call 888-517-9474 x26.

INDIVIDUAL GIVING Donations: Gifts of any size can be donated online at http://georgia.wish.org, or by mailing a check to our office: 1775 The Exchange SE, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30339.

Wishes Can’t Wait Campaign Donations: Wishes Can’t Wait is a special fundraising campaign dedicated exclusively for wishes of children on our waiting list. To learn more about this campaign, please call 888-517-9474 x50.

Host an Event: Organizations and individuals often host events to benefit our chapter. These range from golf tournaments to fashion shows, car washes, festivals, and cook-offs. Please contact us for an event application at 888-517-9474 x16.

Airline Miles and Hospitality Points: With nearly 70% of wishes involving travel, we are always in need of Airline Miles and Hotel Loyalty Points. Please visit our website at http://georgia.wish.org or call us at 888-517-9474 x37 to make a donation.

Volunteer: Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization and support us throughout all areas of our work. Opportunities are available in the areas of wish-granting, advocacy, office assistance, language interpretation and event/fundraiser planning. For more information, please call 888-517-9474 x14.

Adopt-A-Wish: This giving option allows donors to fund a single wish experience in its entirety. The average cost of granting a wish is $8,000, a small price to pay for the happiness of a child whose life consists of daily medical challenges. Please call 888-517-9474 x43 for more information.

In-Kind Donations of Goods & Services: If you have a business or service that can help Make-A-Wish Georgia grant wishes, we welcome your assistance! Please contact us at 888-517-9474 x37 to donate your goods or services.

Make-A-Wish® Georgia 1775 The Exchange SE, Suite200 Atlanta, GA 30339

georgia.wish.org

“There are inly two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

-Albert Einstein

Maddie Goes on a Nickelodeon Cruise! Maddie is a nine-year-old girl who absolutely loves Nickelodeon. Her favorite actress, Miranda Cosgrove, and her favorite band, Big Time Rush, are both featured on Nickelodeon television shows. Prior to her diagnosis of neuroblas- toma, a malignant tumor that develops in nerve tissue, Maddie and her family had been planning to go on a Nickelodeon Cruise. So when wish volunteers visited Maddie, it was no surprise that she knew exactly what she wanted to wish for. Two years after her diagnosis, Maddie was sliding down winding waterslides and hanging out with Spongebob aboard a Nickelodeon cruise ship! Maddie was thrilled to have a bucket of signature green Nickelodeon slime dumped on her head during the Slime Time Live! Show, and says that her favorite part of her wish trip was being able to swim with the dolphins. Maddie participated in a full Nickelodeon experience that she will remember forever.**

**This wish was sponsored by Novelis.

To read more about wishes like Maddie‟s, please visit our website: http://georgia.wish.org