Make-A-Wish® and ESPN Team Up for Eighth-Annual “My Wish” Series
Phoenix (PRWEB) August 14, 2013 -- Imagine waking up one morning to find out that you get to meet your favorite athlete. Imagine tossing a football with your NFL idol, or going up to bat with your favorite MLB team. Imagine how your whole life would change in that moment. Five wish kids not only imagined these things, they lived them, and now their stories will be shared on the upcoming eighth-annual ESPN “My Wish” series.
From NASCAR to tennis from the NFL to Major League Baseball, the sports-themed wishes granted by Make-A-Wish® will begin airing Saturday, Aug. 17, on ESPN and will run through the week. The summer series profiles wishes as they come true for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Each segment takes viewers on an in-depth and often emotional journey into the children’s lives, medical conditions, their wish-reveals and the transformative wish experiences they have with their favorite athletes or teams.
Emmy Award-winning reporter Chris Connelly will again host with participation from the following wish-granters: Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Redskins Quarterback Robert Griffin, III, NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne and tennis star Roger Federer.
“All of our wish kids and their stories are inspirational,” said David Williams, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. “We are pleased to once again have ESPN tell the transformational stories of five of them in a way few others can. We continually learn that wish experiences can make kids feel better, sometimes get better, and certainly can help them become ambitious for the future again.”
Each wish will be the subject of a SportsCenter feature segment beginning Saturday, Aug. 17, at 11 p.m. ET with a new piece premiering each day through Thursday, Aug. 21. Each feature will also be available at ESPN.com following its original airdate.
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About Make-A-Wish®
Make-A-Wish® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true can have positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illnesses, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Based in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 38 minutes. It has granted more than 226,000 wishes since its inception in 1980; nearly 14,000 in 2012 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish at wish.org to learn more.
Josh deBerge, Make-A-Wish® America, +1 (602) 792-3185, [email protected]
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