CORONA, Calif. (September 22, 2011)—Christopher, a 14-year-old boy diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma, never imagined his wish to go on a shopping spree would turn into the kind of day he was given last Saturday, September 17. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Orange County and the Inland Empire granted Christopher’s wish to shop for motorcycle gear and a laptop. In August, Monster Beverage Company partnered with Make-A-Wish to sponsor Christopher’s wish, and the outcome was an inspirational collaboration.
To start his day, Christopher and his dad were escorted by limousine to Corona Motorsports, where he was greeted by Make-A-Wish CEO, Stephanie McCormick, representatives from Monster Beverage and his wish granters. The Corona Motorsports staff surprised Christopher with a gift card and helped him pick out the perfect gear for his dirt bike. Terri Sacks, Philanthropic Marketing Manager for Monster Beverage Company, presented Christopher and his dad with a Monster backpack each full of shirts, hats, games and other Monster swag.
“This past weekend Monster Beverage and the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted their first wish together through our ‘Monster Gives Back Program,’” said Sacks. “Christopher is a cheerful and positive young man. We wanted to give him a day he will never forget.”
After leaving Corona Motorsports, Sacks surprised Christopher with a tour of the Monster warehouse, followed by a tour of the Pro Circuit shop, which opened its doors just for Christopher’s wish day. There he witnessed the behind-the-scenes action of the Monster Pro Circuit Kawasaki race team. Jim Payton from Pro Circuit presented him with personalized, exclusive, official team racing gear normally only available to team members. The day was growing into something bigger than anyone unexpected.
"I knew this was going to be fun,” Christopher said, “but not this much fun.”
Once the tours were over, Christopher went to Best Buy. Store employees were gathered under an arch of balloons and applauded him as he entered their store. Once he picked out his laptop, Christopher was again surprised with more enhancements and accessories presented to him by Best Buy.
At the end of the day, Christopher and the group headed over to Graziano’s Restaurant for pizza. Believing his wish day was done, Christopher walked in to one last surprise. This time, a representative from Truth Soul Armor presented both Christopher and his dad with a full riding suit, gloves and a helmet. The representative also gave them t-shirts, hats, and to top it off, a lifetime membership to Starwest Motor Cross Park.
Christopher’s wish had been granted.
"The whole day was perfect,” he said, “it was so much more than I could have imagined.”
New Make-A-Wish CEO, McCormick, witnessed the entire wish unfold.
“This wish was my first as CEO of Make-A-Wish,” said McCormick. “I am impressed beyond words by the work of everyone who made this wish a reality. I will never forget the smile on Christopher’s face.”
McCormick also expressed gratitude for Sacks and Monster Beverage for sponsoring Christopher’s wish—inspiring so many people in the community to come together and get involved. Sacks was pleased with the outcome of the day and felt the experience was worth all the effort.
“The smile on Christopher’s face warmed the hearts of all of us who participated in fulfilling his wish day,” said Sacks. “His smile was truly priceless.”
For more information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation, please contact Sarah Pizzaruso at
[email protected] or call (714) 573-9474.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, with 64 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 200,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.
