Locals organizing to help grant wishes
Bella Vistans, including several associated with local businesses, are working to raise money to sponsor a wish for Make-a-Wish, a charity organization that works to fulfill requests for children dealing with serious illnesses.
Steve Morrow, general manager at Allen’s grocery store, said that he’s been discussing the prospect with other interested parties all winter after a fundraising effort at the store raised roughly $3,400 last year.
After a handful of meetings, the fundraising effort was kicked off during a group supper at Papa Mike’s last week, he said, where a group donated $553.
A typical wish granted by the organization comes in at around $10-12,000, he said.
“We got $9,400, I guess, to go,” Morrow said.
Morrow said there are 10-12 people on board, including people associated with Bank OZK, Dairy Queen, the Kiwanis club, Cooper Elementary and Neighbors Real Estate.
It’s important to note that wishes are granted for children with serious illnesses, but it isn’t necessarily terminal illnesses, he said.
Having experienced a seriously ill child — who is now a healthy adult — in his own family, Morrow said he’s seen firsthand how hard it is on the patient and the whole family.
“It affects your marriage, it affects your job,” he said.
It’s important to have something to look forward to in those circumstances, he said.
“It’s something to give them, something to look forward to while they’re going through the treatment,” Morrow said. “Our hope is it kind of draws the city together a bit.”
Sherri Fant, a volunteer with the organization and event chairwoman for the 2020 Walk for Wishes, scheduled May 9 at Arvest Ballpark said she’s excited to see the community get together to raise money for this.
Fant said she’s extremely proud of the work the organization does.
“When you just see all of this, you realize the difference you make not only to the child but in their family,” she said.
Having something to look forward to can make for a huge improvement in a sick child’s attitude and how well their treatment goes, she said.
A Bella Vistan who received a wish is inclined to agree.
Brayden Jones said he received a family trip to Hawaii through Make-a-Wish.
“That was the best experience of my life, it was,” he said.
It was incredible to see a part of the country he hadn’t seen before and to witness things he’d only seen in pictures or on screens before, he explained.
Jones said he was a huge fan of history at the time.
“Seeing Pearl Harbor was a big deal too … It was bone-chilling, it was awesome to get to experience it,” he said.
Going through three-anda-half years of treatment for Stage 4 leukemia — initially mistaken for an allergy attack — was tough, and it was another five years before he was officially in remission, Jones explained. The illness surfaced roughly a decade ago when he was nine years old.
But he’s also glad to have made it through and really appreciates how much stronger he’s gotten, he said.
“It gives me more encouragement every single day,” he said.
The prospect of his upcoming wish also helped him stay confident through the treatment and gave him something to look forward to.
His mother, Lisa Jones, said it was a huge piece of encouragement during the treatment.
“Every time it was a hard day … we’d say ‘hey, what would your wish be today?’ So, you know, the hope of a wish really helped him,” she explained.
And for a family that had been through plenty, the trip was a perfect chance to celebrate the end of his treatment.
“For us as a family, too, to just have a chance to breathe and be a normal family for a minute,” she said.
After that, she said, the family is happy to participate and help the organization.
Brayden Jones said he’s glad to help out and he was surprised to find kids look up to him as someone who made it through.
It’s a real joy to help kids go on exciting trips or whatever else they may be interested in.
“It’s awesome, you get to see their smiles for sure,” he said.