Faces & Places

Carmody's Pub and Eatery Hosts Charity Extravaganza

for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri

It was a great time for a great cause on Sunday, June 8th, as the staff of Carmody's Pub and Eatery hosted the Carmody's Charity Extravaganza at the Ballwin restaurant.  The parking lot was turned into an outdoor carnival for the event, which featured live music, great food and drink, games for the entire family, haircuts and massages, a silent auction, bingo plus a monster truck!  

For the past several months, Carmody's has also been selling cookbooks that contain recipes from customers, family friends and lots of Make-A-Wish supporters.  This is the second straight year that Carmody's has dedicated a fundraiser for Make-A-Wish, and it was a smashing success.  This year's event raised more than $32,000, which will grant the wishes of five children with life-threatening medical conditions.

We offer a very special thanks to Carmody's owners Joe and John, plus all the staff and friends who worked so hard to make the Extravaganza such a success, including BJ, Sharon, Gail, Holly, and Renee. 

        Click here to see a photo gallery from Sunday's party.

"Golden Tee" Tournament Scores A Hole-In-One

For The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri

Tournament organizer Jeff Harlow, DonorPerfect's    Tournament winner Ed Godfrey and

J.P. Biedermann, Make-A-Wish Foundation of             tournament organizer Jeff Harlow

Missouri fundraiser Krista Goszewski and VG4U

organizer Casey Brock

121 of the best video golfers in the world headed for St. Charles in February to show off their skills, and to help raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri.  Side Pockets Restaurant and Sports Bar hosted the Players Charity Championship II, which lets players of the Golden Tee video golf game show off their skills.  Golden Tee is the most successful coin-operated videogame in history.  The tournament was organized by the group Video Golfers for Underdogs (VG4U), which is dedicated to having fun while raising money for worthy charities.

The three day tournament resulted in a new Golden Tee champion and, more importantly, raised more than $42,000 for Make-A-Wish!!  The players raised that money by creating personal fundraising websites, and then having family, friends and co-workers make donations on their behalf.  A special thanks to the Side Pockets staff and everyone who helped make the tournament such a huge success.

Make-A-Wish of Missouri staff member Krista Goszewski was on hand to accept the donation. "When Make-A-Wish gets $5,000 we all smile ear-to-ear," she told the crowd.  "So when we receive more than $40,000 we can't even put it into words!

Walkers Hit The Malls In St. Louis And Springfield To Raise Money For The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri is celebrating two successful Walk For Wishes events in St. Louis and Springfield.  An estimated 900 people attended separate walks at West County Center in suburban St. Louis and at Battlefield Mall in Springfield.

Walk For Wishes is a special fundraiser that brings together Make-A-Wish supporters, volunteer and Wish Families all for a common cause.   The Walks in St. Louis and Springfield each featured music, dancing and other family-friendly entertainment. 

This was the third annual Walk for Wishes for the St. Louis Program Center and the inaugural Walk for Wishes in Springfield.  We offer a special thanks to Ameristar and National City as the Signature Sponsors in St. Louis, and a special thanks to Community Free Press, Great Southern plus radio stations 92.9 Bass County and Star 105 for sponsoring the Springfield walk.

To see a photo gallery from the Springfield Walk, click here.

To see a photo gallery from the St. Louis Walk, click here.

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri Honored At Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, Dream Conference In St. Louis

CEO Sandra Lehrer and King Dinner Co-Chair Bill Donius

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri was honored as a 2008 King Organization Of The Year at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, Dream Conference in downtown St. Louis.   Make-A-Wish was among 7 non-profit organizations and two newspapers that received the award for being "dedicated to making a difference in our communities."

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri CEO and President Sandra Lehrer accepted the honor on behalf of the organization.  Lehrer cited the following quote from Dr. King as she praised all the volunteers who represent Make-A-Wish: Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.  You don't have to have a college degree to serve.  You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.  You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.

Lehrer's acceptance speech brought one woman to tears.  The woman has a young relative who recently received a wish, and knew first-hand how important and beneficial the Make-A-Wish mission is in our community. 

While Dr. King had a dream, Lehrer said she had a wish--that all babies would enter the world healthy and stay healthy as they grew up.   Until that wish comes true, Lehrer promised that Make-A-Wish would continue its work to bring hope, strength and joy to every child with a life-threatening medical condition. 

    Missouri Bar & Grill Donates $20,000 To Make-A-Wish

   MoBar owner Trifon Panopoulos (left) presents check to John Wolff

Organizers of the annual Missouri Bar & Grill Golf Tournament held a special dinner on Friday, January 18th, to celebrate the success of their annual fundraiser that benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri.

The event, held in August of 2007, was the most successful yet and resulted in a $20,000 donation to Make-A-Wish.  MoBar, as the locals refer to it, began raising money for Make-A-Wish in the early 1990's because of a police officer who often ate at the restaurant.  The officer had a child who received a wish, and MoBar owner Trifon Panopoulos was so impressed by the impact of that wish he began hosting Make-A-Wish fundraisers. 

If you enjoy golf -and- enjoy helping a great cause, the next Missouri Bar & Grill Golf Tournament is already in the planning stages for August 2008.  To become a sponsor or to sign up as a player, call 314-231-2234.

Ameristar Casino St. Charles Donates 800 Pounds Of Coins

To Make-A-Wish Of Missouri

Ameristar Casino St. Charles gave Make-A-Wish an early holiday present-- all the coins that were thrown into its fountain during the past year.  Casino officials don't have a dollar value on the coins, but they do know the weight of them--more than 800 pounds!! 

Cleaning the fountain is an annual job done by casino employees, and the cash is always given to a local charity.   Because many people make a wish before tossing money into the fountain, Ameristar officials decided that a gift to the Make-A-Wish Foundation was the perfect place for the coins to go.   It took three 55 gallon trash cans, each filled nearly halfway, to handle the weight of the coins.  And when all the money is counted the value could top $10,000!

Even before the coin gift, Ameristar has been extrememly generous to our organization.  The casino recently made a $40,000 contribution to the current Make-A-Wish Stories of Light fundraising campaign.  In a special presentation on Wednesday, December 19th, Ameristar Casino St. Charles Senior Vice President and General Manager Jim Franke presented that gift to Make-A-Wish right in front of the fountain. KSDK, FOX2 and the Suburban Journal newspaper was there for the presentation.

Between the coins and the fundraising gift, Ameristar's generosity will pay for at least 8 wishes!    To the entire Ameristar staff, a heartfelt thank you from Make-A-Wish and all the families that we serve.  And thanks to the people at McCarthy Construction, who moved the donated coins to a safe location for counting.   As soon as we have a total we will pass it on to you. 

Coins and bills recovered from fountain       Make-A-Wish's Laura Boone accepts check  

           Ameristar Senior VP Jim Franke                Ameristar crew that recovered coins

Chesterfield Law Firm Turns Blue Jeans Into Wishes

If you think raising money for Make-A-Wish is hard, take a look at how easily the Millsap

& Singer law firm came up with more than $2,500 to help our mission.. Employees could wear blue jeans once a week, in exchange for a donation to the law firm's charitable fund.   During the year, Millsap and Singer employees collected more than $5,000

for their dress-down fund.   Where to donate the money was left up to the employees,

and they picked the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri as one of the two non-profit recipients.  To everyone at Millsap & Singer, we appreciate your support!

Cars, Crafts, Bikes and Hot Air Balloons

Help Kick Off Stories Of Light Fundraising Campaigns

In St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri

Hot air balloon glows in Springfield and St. Louis marked the beginning of the annual Stories of Light fundraising campaign by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri.  The fundraising goal of more than $200,000 will help fund nearly 35 wishes by children with life-threatening medical conditions.

A hot air balloon glow capped off a full day of activities at Jefferson Barracks Park in St. Louis. The day began with a craft fair, followed by a motorcycle and classic car show.   The band Leather and Lace provided the entertainment at the park amphitheatre.  As the sun went down, nearly two dozen hot air balloons started going up throughout the park.  Pilots from the Gateway Aerostatic Association donated their time and equipment to light up the roads with a beautiful rainbow of colors. 

In Springfield, Make-A-Wish of Missouri teamed up with the city of Ozark for an evening of festivities.  After watching the annual holiday parade wind its way through Ozark, people headed to Finley River Park where nearly a dozen hot air balloons were added to the normal holiday light display in the park.   Five dollar donations per car were collected as part of our fundraising efforts. 

Donations to the Stories of Light campaign are vital to accomplishing our mission of providing special wishes to any child with a life-threatening medical condition.  In St. Louis, please call 314-918-WISH to make a credit card donation or to request a donation envelope.  In Springfield you can call 417-873-WISH.  Thank you in advance for helping us share the power of a wish. 

Visitors check out the cars in the classic car show

Make-A-Wish, St. Louis Cardinals Team Up For Most Successful Fundraiser In Chapter History

From Left: Honorary Co-Chair Mark Lamping, Gala Co-Chair Joyce

Capshaw, Gala Co-Chair Molly Sansone, Emcee John Rooney,

Honorary Co-Chair Cheryl Lamping

Donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri reached a record $280,000 on Saturday night at the 13th annual Wish Gala at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Clayton.   St. Louis Cardinals President Mark Lamping and his wife Cheryl served as honorary chairs for the event.  The theme of the evening was Take Me Out To The Gala, and included appearances by former Cardinals Ken Reitz, Rick Horton, Kerry Robinson and current Cards pitcher Tyler Johnson.

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri CEO Sandra Lehrer says she is overwhelmed by the community’s continued support of the organization.  “Setting this fundraising record is a testament to how committed St. Louisans are when it comes to helping families that face a medical crisis,” said Lehrer.  “Our Gala success is a tribute to the total dedication by the Lampings and by Gala co-chairs Molly Sansone and Joyce Capshaw.  On behalf of all our Wish Children, I offer them my heartfelt thanks.” 

Wish Children Carter and Cole          

Fredbird entertains Gala guests	Ken Reitz & Wish Child Cole
Scott Rosenblum & Joyce Capshaw	Rick Horton & Wish Child Carter

12th Annual St. Louis Rams Celebrity Server Dinner Scores Big!

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Metro St. Louis is celebrating a major victory, following Monday evening’s Celebrity Server fundraiser at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Frontenac. Thirteen St. Louis Rams players and the Rams cheerleaders donated their time and energy to help raise more than $120,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Rams quarterback Marc Bulger hosted the event for the second straight year. Bulger was joined by teammates Steven Jackson, Gus Ferotte, Drew Bennett, Will Witherspoon, Richie Incognito, La’Roi Glover, Dane Looker, Randy McMichael, Corey Chavous, Brett Romberg, Chris Massey and Chris Draft. The players and Rams cheerleaders competed to see who could collect the most tips during the evening. Linebacker Will Witherspoon came out on top, with the Rams cheerleaders a very close second. More than 200 diners attended the event, including Jim Hanifan, a former offensive line coach with the Rams and former head coach with the St. Louis Cardinals football team.

Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter President and CEO Sandra Lehrer praised everyone who helped make the evening an overwhelming success. “The continued support of the entire Rams organization for twelve years demonstrates the strength of their commitment to the children of our community. We also can’t say enough about the staff and management of Fleming’s, who worked tirelessly to make the dining experience a very special part of the evening.”

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Flower Power Helps Fund Local Wishes

Pictured left to right: Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Missouri President/CEO Sandra Lehrer, students Stacy Zamski, Marissa Fabbri, Alessia Perla, Haylo Piercley, and teacher Vicki Kemp

Students at Crestview Middle School have made a $985 donation to Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Missouri, following their annual Carnation sale. Crestview is part of the Rockwood School District.

Nearly 3,500 carnations were sold at school by the 8th grade Academic Stretch program. The flowers were later delivered to Crestview students, along with special cards, on Valentine’s Day.

The proceeds of the annual event are split between a nonprofit group that helps people, and a nonprofit group that helps animals. This year, the students voted to give the money to Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Missouri and Stray Rescue.

Special Thanks to Millennium Rail Inc. in Wood River, IL who recently presented Make-A-Wish with proceeds from their annual golf outing. We recognize all those who contributed their time and talents to support this event and make it a huge success!

                                     
Cottleville Knights of Columbus held a Charity Trivia Night to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri.  Their time and efforts helped raise enough to grant two wishes for local children with life threatening medical conditions! Thank you Cottleville K of C Council 7198!