Make A Wish charity supporters Claire Robertson (front) and Cindy Flint from Blooms The Chemist Sturt Mall are hoping to raise money for sick kids on World Wish Day, Wednesday 29 April. Photo: Marguerite McKinnon.
If you could make a wish, what would you wish for?
For more than half a million children worldwide with life-threatening illnesses, their first wish is to be healthy, but when that’s not possible, then a life highlight will have to do.
In Wagga, that reality hits close to home, with around 900 seriously ill children across Australia still waiting for a wish to come true.
Wednesday 29 April is World Wish Day, the day when the Make a Wish Foundation granted its first wish in 1980 to a seven-year-old boy named Chris Greicius who wanted to be a police officer. He didn’t see his eighth birthday, but his dream, and the American community in Phoenix, Arizona, sparked a movement that has helped millions of lives.
Australia’s first Make A Wish recipient Shawn Cleland, 16, wished to take his first plane trip to Sydney to watch his beloved local AFL team Footscray play the Swans. This year marks 40 years since Shawn’s wish came true, and is a source of comfort for his family since his passing.
That community spirit is alive and well in our region, and as a major corporation partner to the Make A Wish charity, Blooms the Chemist pharmacies are flying the flag to raise as much money as possible to grant the wishes of the 900 sick children currently on the waiting list.
This year in Wagga, Blooms the Chemist will mark 10 years since it began actively fundraising for the Make A Wish charity.
Of the 129 stores Australia-wide, Blooms the Chemist has two in Wagga, one in Griffith, two in Canberra, and four stores in the Wollongong/Shoalhaven district.
Many Blooms the Chemist stores including Sturt Mall Wagga (pictured) will be hosting fundraising events to support the Make A Wish Foundation’s World Wish Day on 29 April. Photo: Marguerite McKinnon.
The Wagga branches have been so successful, they were named in the top five stores nationwide that raised the most money.
The driving force behind the Sturt Mall effort has been Pharmacy Assistant Cindy Flint, and Blooms the Chemist Sturt Mall owner Claire Robertson, who are hoping locals will go the extra mile and support them on 29 April.
“We will be dressing up in blue which is the Make A Wish colour, and we will do everything we can as a store to raise as much money as possible,” Ms Robertson said.
“This year we will do our usual Book Nook where we sell good quality books, there will be some bric-a-brac, photo frames, children’s wear, little gift knick-knacky things.
“We’ve got make-up and skincare products, we’ve also got soft toys, and books that range from children’s to teenagers and adults. There will be prints, lots of beautiful vases, and we are also going to have an in-store raffle.
“People can purchase tickets and we will announce the winner at the end of the day, and there will also be a jelly bean guessing competition.”
Every cent raised will go to the Make A Wish Foundation, meaning every person who goes into the store to buy a raffle ticket, or an item for sale for the Make A Wish Foundation, will be helping the charity that gives sick children and their families some much-needed joy.
“The Book Nook is an all-year-round campaign that we do and it’s been a beautiful distraction for a lot of people that may have some health woes while they’re waiting in store for a consultation with Claire, or they’re waiting on an injection. So we often get a lot of feedback to say that it’s brought people a lot of comfort,” Cindy said.
Cindy and Claire said the real heroes are the generous customers, local businesses and the community, who have supported their fundraising over the past decade.
“That’s something we really want to profoundly say, that the depth of gratitude that we feel is extremely deep, because from staff, to their extended families, to friends, to dear Blooms the Chemist customers, and the wider-based community members – what they’ve given us has been absolutely priceless,” Ms Flint said.
Claire said: “We get reports back of all the wishes that have been granted thanks to our donations, and you get this person’s name, their age, and exactly what wish was granted for them, so it’s really nice to see where your money is actually going, and we put the posters up so customers can see.”
