Monroe Township, NJ – Sometimes wishes can come true.  But it helps when you have a fairy tale castle.

For children throughout the Garden State with life-threatening medical conditions, their wishes took a step closer to fulfillment today when the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey began the final phase of construction on the Samuel and Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place – a 20,000 square foot castle-like facility in the middle of the state, complete with towers and turrets, cupolas and spires, and more than a little bit of magic.

The crowning touch on the Wishing Place was literally that, as construction cranes dramatically hoisted the castle’s final tower to its position close to 100 feet above families and officials gathered to celebrate the event.

“A castle needs its towers, and now ours has them,” said Thomas P. Weatherall, President and Chief Executive Officer of Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey.  “Most importantly, that tower will serve as a beacon of hope, strength and joy for those children who face a life-threatening illness. They will know Make-A-Wish is here for them. The expressions on these children’s faces here today I think says it all -WOW!  That’s precisely what we were going for – wow!”

“We’re standing here today on the shoulders of many in this generous NJ community, especially donors, volunteers, and board members, past and present, all who tell us they were motivated to become involved with our mission, inspired by one group at the core of our work - wish children and their families.”

Serving New Jersey Children
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Each year, between 400 and 500 children in the State of New Jersey experience the magic and power of a wish.   They range in age from 2½ to 18 years old, and represent each of the state’s 21 counties.  Wishes range from meeting a sports star, entertainment celebrity or world leaders, to computers or room makeovers, to travel to far away destinations around the globe – including the most popular wish, a trip to Disney World, Disneyland, or aboard a Disney cruise.

Designed to resemble a castle in a child’s story book, which was an outcome of a focus group comprised only of wish children, the Samuel and Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place will include an interactive area where kids can imagine their wishes and the Foundation can grant them; a multi-purpose room for on-site children’s events and activities, and training space for staff and volunteers involved in the wish granting program.  The space will also house administrative offices to handle the day to day operations of one of the leading Make-A-Wish chapters nationally.

Mr. Weatherall noted that the Wishing Place is a child-centric facility, designed to stimulate a child’s imagination during the wishing process.  “Our best referral source, the medical community, greatly values our work as they recognize we pick up where science and medicine leave off.  Through a wish, we bring hope, strength and joy into a child’s life.  But over the course of almost three decades, we have often seen where a child’s illness, or their environment, can stifle their imagination.  The Plumeri Wishing Place is designed to help them by revealing to seriously ill children the imaginative possibilities of a wish, at a time when life is offering only an escalating series of limitations. A wish is so critically important to them, as often times it’s the only thing they feel they have control over.”

Construction is scheduled to be completed in the fall.

Michael Oakes, the Foundation’s Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, explained the Wishing Place is being funded entirely through private donations.  The lead gift that spearheaded the project was a $2 million commitment from New Jersey native Joe Plumeri.  It was the first ever multi-million dollar commitment to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, nationally or internationally. In honor of Plumeri’s unprecedented generosity, the facility will be named in honor of Mr. Plumeri’s parents.

Mr. Plumeri is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Willis Group Holdings, the leading global insurance broker. He is also co-owner of the Trenton Thunder and Lakewood Blue Claws.

The land on which the castle sits was donated by Jack Morris, CEO of Edgewood Properties. Mr. Morris initially donated a 7-acre parcel but, as he became more involved with the mission and inspired by the work of the Foundation, he later increased the donation to 14-acres.

About Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.  Since its inception in 1983, the New Jersey chapter has granted almost 7,000 wishes.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation is the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 64 chapters in the United States and serves children in 40 countries outside the U.S. For further information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey, call 800-252-WISH or visit www.nj.wish.org.