Granting Wishes with ESA Eta Pi

Being a part of ESA has given me so many new opportunities to give back and volunteer in my community that I had either never thought of or never heard of. This weekend was one of those times where I got to take part in an event that I didn't know existed, or realized how large it was.

On Saturday, I and three other Eta Pi members took part in the Indy Walk for Wishes benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Most people have heard of Make-A-Wish, and how it grants wishes for children facing catastrophic illnesses, like pediatric cancer. Indiana is served by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana chapter of Make-a-Wish.

I had not heard of the Walk for Wishes until our philanthropy chair included it in the list of opportunities this month. This year was its 9th event in Indy and, as of this posting, had raised almost $141,000. The Walk took place at Fort Harrison State Park and brought together almost 2000 walkers! I had no idea it was such a large event, let alone that it was such a large event. There were tents for Buffalo Wild Wings, one of the local Indy radio stations, and local Indy news station Fox 59 (one of their reporters was the emcee for the event). The Colts in Motion (traveling museum of the Colts) and the Butler mascot, Hink, was also there.

Monica, Kate, Jessie, and I had a great time at Walk for Wishes!

The opening ceremony was so touching. A Wish family spoke about their daughter who had her wish granted after she had finished chemotherapy. She also cut the ribbon to get the Walk started. Right now, there are more than 800 kids waiting to have their wishes granted - and the Walk for Wishes raises money to help grant those wishes.

I saw several kids at the Walk with shirts that said "Wish Kid" or families with stickers emblazoned with "Wish Family." It was so touching to see those kids and families at the Walk - people we were actively supporting by donating and walking that day. I can't fathom having a child facing a possibly fatal illness, but I can only imagine getting the opportunity for that child to have a wish of theirs granted, whether that's visiting Walt Disney World, throwing out the first pitch at a Cincinnati Reds game, or being a police officer for a day. I can imagine the hope that would bring, the morale that would be boosted, the way it would act as a light at the end of a very dark tunnel. And sometimes, that hope is what matters most.