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www.makewish.org
Contact: Elaine Kauffman
(415)982-9474 //
Vacaville Boy Wishes for a Pirate Playhouse
7 November 2007 -- San Francisco: George Carter Bell is a typical five-year-old who loves play time and adventure. Unfortunately, this little boy has neurofibromatosis, a rare disorder of the nervous system, a condition that qualifies him for a wish from the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation®. Carter loves pirates and playing on the play structures at his local park. So, when he thought about his wish he decided that he wanted a pirate playhouse in his own backyard. He envisioned defending his own “pirate treasure against invaders,” swinging from monkey bars “to get across the water,” a telescope “to look for sharks and birds” and a wheel to steer his pirate ship.
Carter’s wish will be realized on Friday, November 9, when a big rig delivers a pirate tree house. Parts of the structure will be lifted by crane over the house into his backyard. Carter and his mother, Debbie, will be on hand to watch as a team of people construct his playhouse, which will include a crow’s nest, cannon, skeleton, bones and other pirate paraphernalia. Companies helping to make this wish come true are: Daniel’s Wood Land, Inc., of Paso Robles, makers of the tree house; Hatton Crane & Rigging, Inc., of Hayward and Wayne E. Swisher Cement Contractor, located in Antioch. The Swisher company offered their services to help with this wish, because one of their family members, Britton, was granted a wish to visit Skywalker Ranch.
About the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation®
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. In 2007 the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation celebrates 23 years of fulfilling magical wishes. One of the largest chapters nationwide, it has granted 4,500 wishes in its 17 Northern California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Marin, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, Solano and Sonoma. The goal of the Greater Bay Area chapter is to grant a wish to every eligible child in its territory. Anyone can refer a child for a wish. In 2005, the Chapter was recognized with a coveted “Best in America Seal of Excellence” award, the first Make-A-Wish Chapter to achieve this distinction for its outstanding management and governance practices. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent, meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded this Seal. For more information or to refer a child for a wish, please call (800) 464-9474 or visit www.makewish.org.
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