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Help make wishes come true at annual benefit ball
Make a wish pic3
Proceeds from the Wishmakers Ball will help grant wishes to local children like Cunningham Elementary School second grader and leukemia patient Koran Rudd, who had his wish granted in November. - photo by Journal file photo

Not all wishes are out of reach and the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Northeastern California and Northern Nevada are pulling together to help grant wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions through the 16th Annual Wishmakers Ball in Modesto.

“This is our signature event in Stanislaus County and it is such a fun night,” said Michele Flynn, senior director, communications and outreach. “People get dressed up, have a great dinner and now with all of our signature events there is a live wish reveal to a child.”

The event is themed Black Tie Bingo and all proceeds are benefiting Make-A-Wish with the hopes of raising enough funds to grant seven wishes to children in the greater Modesto area who are experiencing life-threatening medical conditions.

“This event has been greatly supported by the Modesto community,” said Jennifer Stole, Make-A-Wish CEO. “The guests enjoy a delicious dinner, fun and fast moving bingo games, are able to bid on fantastic silent auction items as well as a chance to win a few amazing raffle items—all while hearing about how wishes change the lives of local children.”

The Wishmakers Ball is Jan. 30 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Modesto. Tickets are $150 each and include dinner, dancing, raffles and Black Tie Bingo.

The average cost of a wish is $7,500. The mission of Make-A-Wish is to grant wishes to children ages 2  to 18 who have life-threatening medical conditions as a way to enrich the human spirit with hope, strength and joy. 

“The wish itself just gives families and the child the chance to create lifelong memories and have a chance to feel normal again, which can be such a luxury,” said Flynn. “Even to the point of having something to hope for can get the child to be more apt in participating in medical treatment and turns around their emotional health while offering them the strength to persevere.”

Tickets can be purchased for the Annual Wishmaker’s Ball in Modesto by visiting necannv.wish.org.

Flynn added that volunteers in the Turlock area are needed for Make-A-Wish. To learn more,  visit necannv.wish.org.