By Michele Deluca Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Wed Oct 12, 2011, 09:39 PM EDT
NIAGARA FALLS — Two very ill young people will have their wishes come true thanks to a $15,000 donation presented Wednesday to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The donation means one 17-year-old Niagara Falls boy with a life-threatening condition will receive season tickets to the Buffalo Sabres games. A second child in the region has not yet been named to receive his or her wish yet, according to Make a Wish spokesperson Tracy Gray.
“It’s a very significant donation,” Gray said of the check.
She noted that in a challenging economy, charities struggle right along with local businesses, making the generosity that much more important to the agency that fulfills dreams of sick children.
“We are in a very giving community and we are very blessed to be part of that,” she said.
Cataract Tours, which operates out of One Niagara at 360 Rainbow Blvd., provided half of the $15,000 donation and has been supporting the Make-A-Wish mission with banners on their two-dozen tour buses. The owners of One Niagara, led by managing partner Paul Grenga, provided the remainder of the donation, made on behalf of the “hardworking employees and tenants” of the tourism center.
“As a father of six, I feel a responsibility to help Make-A-Wish,” said Grenga, adding that Tom Kerr and Frank D’Agostino of Cataract Tours share his thoughts on the gift. “And when the economy is bad, Make-A-Wish needs even more help.”
The event was attended by Assemblyman John Ceretto, who remembered working with a Make-A-Wish recipient during his days in the Parks Department at the state park. “It was his dream to come to Niagara Falls,” said Ceretto of the child. “It was a truly fantastic experience.”
Also attending was state Senator Mark Grisanti, who promised to meet with Make-A-Wish representatives to help fortify the assistance efforts. Grisanti called Make-A-Wish the “unsung hero” of nonprofit organizations.”
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Western New York serves about 150 children a year, Gray said, adding that the impact of a wish fulfilled changes more than just the child’s life, but also the lives of the family members and those in the community who help to bring joy to a sick child.
“It takes a community to make a wish,” Gray said.
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