Sports inspire and bring joy to kids, whether they play, watch or wish to meet their favorite sports hero through the Make-A-Wish Foundation®.

ESPN will bring that message home to millions of viewers in a special series called “My Wish” starting July 9 on its signature news show, SportsCenter. The network has been chronicling the wishes of 10 Make-A-Wish® kids, including Oregon’s own Katie, and each wish will be highlighted in a SportsCenter feature segment. The stories will include interviews with the child and family plus exclusive footage of each wish child getting all-star treatment from some of the sports world’s biggest names.

Katie’s wish was to meet the Seattle Mariners, and in true team spirit, she included her ex-teammates from an Oregon City youth baseball team, the Pioneers, on the trip. Katie, the only girl on the team, and her friends took a chartered bus to Seattle’s Safeco Field, where they enjoyed big-league activities on the field, got autographs and photos galore from Mariners players and watched the game from a suite donated by the Mariners. This 12-year-old’s wish also included a couple of special surprises that you won’t want to miss! Check your local cable listings and tune in to see the “My Wish” series on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Kemp Shuey Takes on New Role

The Foundation is excited to announce that Kemp Shuey will step up as the new Director of Wish and Volunteer Services at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oregon. 

Serving as a Wish Manager at the organization for nearly two years, Kemp helped the department increase wish numbers and re-introduce Hawaii wishes to the chapter.  The biggest highlight of his Make-A-Wish career was helping grant the 50,000th wish for a trip to a Disney Theme Park, which took place last October during the co-celebration of Disney’s 50th Anniversary and the 25th Anniversary of the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of America. 

As Director, Kemp will oversee wish-granting policies and staff members, along with the volunteer program, and is excited to help the organization grow and reach its full potential. He says his biggest challenge will be “decreasing the wait time for granting a wish.”

Kemp simply said, “It’s all about the people,” when asked why he enjoys working at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oregon.  “From my immediate colleagues in the office, to the volunteers on the front lines, to the amazing families, I’m very lucky to be working here.  Obviously, the copious amount of cookies and chocolate circulating through the office is also a major perk.”

Kemp Shuey can be reached at 503-292-2280, ext. 29 or . 

Contribute to the 2006 Food, Wine & Wishes Event

Donate an item to the Food, Wine & Wishes auction

The Make-A-Wish Foundation hopes that you will join in this year’s effort by donating items such as gift certificates, unique items or packages from your business to be used in one of our auctions at Food, Wine & Wishes.  Proceeds from the 2006 event will benefit local wishes.  For more information, please visit the auction item donation page on our web site.

Advertise in the Food, Wine & Wishes auction catalog

One of the ways businesses can choose to support wishes at this event is by purchasing advertising space in the auction catalog.  For more information, please visit the auction catalog advertising page at www.orwish.org.

Item & Advertising Deadline: September 1, 2006

Event Date: October 14, 2006