Wishmaker's Ball 2017

Hosted at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples to benefit Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida.

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The 11th Annual Wishmaker’s Ball, “An Evening in Paris” presented by Fidelity Private Wealth Management on Saturday, January 14 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, benefitted Make-A-Wish® Southern Florida.

Over 240 guests enjoyed a wonderful evening starting with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Parisian themed courtyard complete with sidewalk café vignettes, mimes, twinkling lights and bottles of French wine. Silent and live auctions, a delectable dinner, and dancing to the high energy sounds of The Chase Band, completed what truly felt like a night in Paris.

Several wish children were in attendance including Este Cadiou whose wish was to go to Walt Disney World® with his family. Este, who battled cancer, spoke to Ball guests about “The Magic of My Wish” and what it meant to him when he was six years old and battling a life threatening disease. He thanked everyone for making his life happier during that time and encouraged them to grant more wishes to children like him.

Ball chairs, Rick and Brenda Brown of the Brown Realty Group, along with honorary chairs Dr. Thomas Hale and Amy Hale, helped to make the Ball a huge success. The Ball raised $200,000 which will help grant the wishes of 40 local children with life-threatening medical conditions.

“We are so excited to have such great support for our mission in Southwest Florida,” said Norm Wedderburn, President/CEO of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. “Each wish will provide a sick child with a break from doctors and hospitals, along with the chance to make memories that will last a lifetime.”

Rick Gallo, Chair of the Make-A-Wish President’s Council, and Amy Sedlacek, a past co-chair, teamed up for the Adopt-A-Wish portion of the evening. They energized the crowd allowing everyone the opportunity to raise their paddles high and often.

Other sponsors helping to make the Ball a success were Arthrex, Seminole Casino Hotel, NeoGenomics Laboratories, and Vein Specialists.

Make-A-Wish Southern Florida grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. The Southern Florida chapter grants a wish every 16 hours and has granted more than 10,000 wishes since its inception in 1983. The chapter’s vision is to make every eligible child’s wish come true. For more information about Make-A-Wish, visit www.sfla.wish.org or call 239-992-9474 to get involved.