December 1, 2009
The Wishing Place Where Dreams Come True - With Hope, Strength and Joy
The Wishing Place Where Dreams Come True - With Hope, Strength and Joy
Photos by Nichol Gomez-Pryde, CCPOA Communications Division
In 1980, Chris, a 7-year-old Arizona boy being treated for leukemia dreamed of one day becoming a police officer. When his condition worsened, a family friend, who just happened to be a U.S. Customs officer, contacted public safety officials to help him plan a special day for the boy and to help grant his wish.
They went all out - a tour of the city in a police helicopter, a custom-made uniform, and a proficiency test on a special battery-operated motorcycle so Chris could earn wings to pin on his uniform. Not only that, Chris was sworn in as the first honorary Department of Public Safety patrolman in Arizona state history.
Though Chris passed away a couple of days later, he had realized his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer - thanks to the compassion of people in a position to make the dream a reality.
If they could do it for one child, they could do it for others, they thought. And just like that, the Make-A-Wish Foundation was born. And today, more than 186,000 granted wishes later, the Foundation continues its mission "to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy."
In November 2008, CCPOA made a donation to the Sacramento chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help them build an exciting new place where the children can find peace and hope.
And on November 2 of this year, the Wishing Place celebrated its grand opening, and CCPOA was there with other supporters and volunteers to tour the special place where wishes are made and dreams come true.
