“The whole family was extremely excited to have Sofia’s wish granted. I know that Sofia is only three, but all she talked about was getting to going to Disney. Sofia worked tremendously hard in rehab to get to where she is now. Getting to make her wish and know that she was going to go to Disney kept her spirits up. It gave her something to look forward to. It gave us all something to look forward to.” – Sofia’s mom, Stephanie

Sofia’s wish to go to Disney World was granted in February 2012. Sofia and her family were in Disney World for her third birthday, which was celebrated with a princess makeover at the Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique.

“The entire wish granting process symbolized the start of a new beginning for Sofia and our family.” – Sofia’s dad, Mike.

Producer Brian Johnston chronicled Sofia’s story and her wish experience in a segment that aired on the New Jersey Cablevision channel and can now be viewed on the Make-A-Wish New Jersey YouTube channel.

On Saturday, May 19, 2012, the Stop and Shop of Dayton will be hosting an event with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish New Jersey.  The event will have 8 local musicians, as well as a  small car and motorcycle show.  Vendors from the supermarket community will also be on hand with product demo’s and giveaways. Some of the local musicians who are donating time and talent to the event are “Under the Attic”, “Just for Today”, “Industry”, The Paul Raucci Group, “The Mad Feather Group”, “Enigma” and South Brunswick’s own “Just Us”. Gil Cruz will provide a professional “DJ” experience between sets.

For more information, please contact Howard Witzgall at howard.witzgall@ahold.com today!

NEW YORK, April 25, 2012 – The Garden of Dreams Foundation and New York Knicks worked together with Make-A-Wish New Jersey to help grant the special wish of 18-year-old, Jake Koppel from Spotswood, NJ.

Battling leukemia, Jake had the opportunity to have a wish granted; Jake’s wish was to attend a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden with his family and high school basketball team, the Spotswood Chargers, which he manages. Dedicated to his team and motivated by his teammates, Jake saw his wish as a way to give back to his teammates for the support given to him to beat his cancer.

Jake said, “They [his teammates] always held a special place my heart. They helped me get through tough times during my treatment. I have a lot of friends on the basketball team, and I just wanted to experience the wish with my teammates.”

On Wednesday, April 25, the Knicks final regular-season home game, Jake had his wish fulfilled alongside his teammates. Jake, family and teammates were invited by Garden of Dreams and the New York Knicks for an unforgettable night at Madison Square Garden. Upon arrival, Jake and his guests were escorted into Madison Square Garden to attend the private, pregame shoot around. The group was seated courtside as they watched the Knicks warm up for the night’s match-up versus the Los Angeles Clippers. During shoot around, Knicks great Larry Johnson welcomed Jake and the Chargers to the game while current Knicks players Iman Shumpert and Landry Fields stopped by to take photos with the team. As Shumpert and Fields headed back to the court, Larry Johnson escorted Jake and his crew to center court for a memorable photo opportunity.

As arena doors opened, Jake and the Chargers headed to the Knicks staging area to prepare for an opportunity of a lifetime – to play on the Knicks court at Madison Square Garden. Proudly sporting the Spotswood Chargers blue and white jerseys, Jake led his team on-court to participate in a six-minute intersquad scrimmage. The blue and white jerseys raced up and down the court as Jake paced on the sideline with a smile beaming from ear-to-ear. Jake yelled out coaching instructions as the fans cheered.

Following the scrimmage, there were more surprises in store for Jake and his teammates. Spending only a few minutes away from his teammates, Jake had the chance to participate as Honorary Knicks Co-Captain. Before tip-off, Jake headed center court for the captains’ meeting between the referees and the captains of each team. Jake took a photo with the captains and referees to capture the moment. After serving as Honorary Knicks Co-Captain, Jake returned to his teammates to learn the team would be forming the Starting High Five Line during player introductions. In front of a sold out crowd, Jake, his sister Meaghan and the Chargers lined up for introductions with the Knicks reserves to high five the Knicks starters as they made their grand entrance onto the court. With adrenaline running high, Jake led his team back to the Knicks staging area where they found the full Knicks City Dancers team waiting to wish Jake a “Happy Wish Day.” Jake received an individual photo with the Knicks City Dancers team and, in true manager style, he made sure the Chargers received a photo as well.

After an exciting pregame, it was now game time. Jake, his family and the Chargers were escorted to a decorated, catered suite to enjoy the Knicks-Clippers match up. In the suite, Jake received a surprise visit from Knicks legend John Starks. Starks spent time in the suite taking photos, signing autographs and distributing gift bags.

At the end of the game, Jake, his family and team had many things to celebrate including a Knicks win, an amazing wish day and Jake’s cancer remission.

Truly an unselfish and thankful wish, Jake shared, “My favorite part of the night was definitely being on the Knicks home court playing with my teammates.”

Garden of Dreams is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charity that works closely with all areas of The Madison Square Garden Company, including the New York Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, MSG Networks, MSG Entertainment and Fuse. Garden of Dreams has worked tirelessly to fulfill its mission by creating unique and unforgettable events and activities – often involving unprecedented access to Madison Square Garden celebrities, events and venues – that have brightened the lives of thousands and thousands of special children and their families. For more information on the Garden of Dreams Foundation, visit www.gardenofdreamsfoundation.org.

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, Make-A-Wish is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world. With the help of generous donors and more than 30,000 volunteers worldwide, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 280,000 wishes around the world since its inception.  Make-A-Wish America is partnering with Make-A-Wish International for World Wish Day. Make-A-Wish New Jersey was founded in 1983. Serving children in every municipality in the Garden State, Make-A-Wish New Jersey has granted more than 7,100 wishes since its inception. For more information about Make-A-Wish New Jersey, call 800-252-WISH or visit www.nj.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.

The NBA’s New York Knickerbockers basketball team, in its 66th year of operation is part of The Madison Square Garden Company, a fully-integrated sports, entertainment and media business. The company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the Company’s overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the Company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports consists of owning and operating sports franchises, including the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Connecticut Whale (AHL). MSG Sports also features other sports properties, including the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, track and field and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from the Company’s venues. MSG Media consists of the MSG Networks (MSG, MSG Plus, MSG HD and MSG Plus HD) regional sports networks and the Fuse Networks (Fuse and Fuse HD), a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Entertainment is one of the country’s leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in the Company’s diverse collection of venues. These venues include: Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Chicago Theatre and the Wang Theatre. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.

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Though he didn’t know it at the time, Chris’ wish was the inspiration for Make-A-Wish, which has since granted wishes to thousands of children who bravely face life-threatening illnesses. April 29 is World Wish Day^®, a global celebration of wish granting on the anniversary of Chris’ wish.

Make-A-Wish will mark World Wish Day with celebrations throughout the United States and in the 47 other countries in which it operates by celebrating wishes being granted on that day.

The wish children pictured above represent the wishes Make-A-Wish New Jersey is granting in celebration of World Wish Day. We invite you to visit our World Wish Day page for more details and pictures from these wishes and to learn about how you, too, can celebrate World Wish Day.

Monroe Township, New Jersey – On April 29, more than 30 years to the day after a young boy named Chris was granted his wish to be a police officer for a day, Make-A-Wish^® supporters around the globe will celebrate World Wish Day^®, in honor of the wish that sparked a global wish-granting movement.

Make-A-Wish will mark World Wish Day with celebrations throughout the United States and in the 47 other countries in which it operates by celebrating wishes being granted on that day. Every 23 minutes, Make-A-Wish grants the wish of a child with a life-threatening medical condition somewhere in the world.

Many celebrities and professional athletes are granting wishes in honor of World Wish Day throughout April. On April 29, Thomson Reuter’s electronic billboard in Times Square will feature a special World Wish Day video, which includes celebrities such as John Cena, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Buddy Valastro, Jon Stewart, Nigel Barker and Tiffani Thiessen. The video will debut on the Make-A-Wish America YouTube channel on Monday, April 23. Chief Wish Ambassador Michael Jordan kicked off the World Wish Day festivities by granting Lucas’ wish to meet him at the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational golf tournament in Las Vegas.

Sponsors celebrating World Wish Day with special activities are Maggiano’s, Disney Store, Brooks Brothers, Macy’s, Hard Rock International, Dave & Buster’s and BLOCKBUSTER Express.

During the month of April, US Airways invites Dividend Miles members to donate their miles to one of five national nonprofits, including Make-A-Wish. For every 5,000 miles donated, US Airways will match the first 1,000 miles, up to 25,000 per donor. Visit wish.org/dividend to donate today.

“We are granting the wish of Peter from Sparta, New Jersey to celebrate World Wish Day and highlight the hope, strength and joy that Make-A-Wish brings children every day,” said Tom Weatherall, president and chief executive officer of Make-A-Wish New Jersey. “We invite the community to join in this special celebration and learn how just one individual can help us reach every eligible child in New Jersey.”

Peter, 10, was referred to Make-A-Wish by a social worker at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where he was being treated for medulloblastoma.

Like many boys his age, Peter, loves Star Wars, Mike and Ike^® candy, and the color blue. He also enjoys reading, especially non-fiction, and after reading about boomerangs and koalas, Peter knew what would be his wish.

“I wish to go to Australia,” declared Peter during his conversation with the Make-A-Wish team assigned to coordinate his fondest wish. “I want to see the aboriginal culture and meet the koalas.”

During his bon voyage party at the Samuel & Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place the Make-A-Wish staff told Peter his wish experience will begin with a nighttime visit to the Cairns Tropical Zoo for a traditional Australian BBQ dinner and to meet the koalas.

“You knew that Koalas were nocturnal?” quizzed Peter.

During the trip Peter, along with his mom, dad, and two brothers, will explore the Outer Barrier Reef by boat and visit Tjapukai Aboriginal Culture Park, where they will have the opportunity to learn how to play the didgeridoo, throw a spear, and throw a boomerang.

“A wish experience transcends culture and geography and can unify people worldwide,” said Mr. Weatherall. “Peter’s wish is a testament to this and we are honored to grant his wish as part of our World Wish Day celebrations.”

Make-A-Wish^® New Jersey
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, Make-A-Wish is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world. With the help of generous donors and more than 30,000 volunteers worldwide, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 280,000 wishes around the world since its inception.  Make-A-Wish America is partnering with Make-A-Wish International for World Wish Day. Make-A-Wish New Jersey was founded in 1983. Serving children in every municipality in the Garden State, Make-A-Wish New Jersey has granted more than 7,100 wishes since its inception. For more information about Make-A-Wish New Jersey, call 800-252-WISH or visit www.nj.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.

A minimum donation of $15 is asked of attendees with proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish New Jersey.

Food, beverages, and zumba clothing will be sold. (Cash or check only)

For more information, please contact Christina Mendoza at 609-927-8700 or cmendoza@goldsgymlawrenceville.com or visit www.goldsgym.com/lawrencevillenj today!

Tickets for the carnival will be $10 per sheet or you can purchase a bracelet for $20 which will allow you full access to all games.

For more information, contact Ashleigh Kennedy at 732-747-1774 or arasina@redbankcatholic.com.

For more information, please contact Samantha Zweben at samanthazweben@gmail.com.

There is no admission fee, but a requested donation of $5 which will grant you admission into the event.

For more information, please contact Ron Marciano at ronmarc@optonline.net.

Monroe Township, New Jersey – With the help of TLC’s Cake Boss Buddy Valastro, owner of Carlo’s Bakery, Make-A-Wish^® granted the wishes of 11 kids from across the country and around the world on April 23, 2012, kicking off the week-long celebration leading into World Wish Day^®.

On April 29, more than 30 years to the day after a young boy named Chris was granted his wish to be a police officer for a day, Make-A-Wish supporters around the globe will celebrate World Wish Day, in honor of the wish that sparked a global wish-granting movement.

Make-A-Wish will mark World Wish Day with celebrations throughout the United States and in the 47 other countries in which it operates by celebrating wishes being granted on that day. Every 23 minutes, Make-A-Wish grants the wish of a child with a life-threatening medical condition somewhere in the world.

“Granting children’s wishes is a rallying point for people around the globe,” said Tom Weatherall, president and chief executive officer of Make-A-Wish New Jersey. “The wish experience transcends culture and geography by unifying people worldwide around the common cause of bringing hope, strength, and joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions.”

“That certainly cannot be truer than in this instance, with these wishes to meet Buddy Valastro,” he added.

The 11 kids are all diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions and are being granted their fondest wish to meet Buddy. The group includes eight kids from across the United States, two kids traveling from Italy, and one boy from Portugal.

Surrounded by flour, fondant, and family, New Jersey native, Casey Markowitz, 17, of Flanders, was one of the 11 kids to have her wish come true inside New Jersey’s world-famous bakery.

“When I granted my first wish it honestly changed my life,” said Buddy. “It touched my heart and made me understand the mission and what the mission does for these kids and their families. To see the joy on these kids’ faces means the world to me and I’ve made it a mission of mine to do whatever I can to help Make-A-Wish and the children they serve.”

In addition to meeting Buddy, the kids spent time with members of his staff and family, including Buddy’s wife, Lisa, his mom and sisters, Frankie, Danny and Cousin Anthony, too.

After touring the Lackawanna facility (631 Grove St., Jersey City, New Jersey 07310) the kids munched on brownies and cream-filled pastries, while Buddy told them to think of their ideal cake. With help from Buddy and his staff the kids spent the afternoon creating the very cakes they had imagined.

Atop their colorful cakes the kids added everything from edible elephants and disco balls to make-up and peace signs, and even themselves. Casey’s two-tiered red cake featured a sculpted model of herself in her prom dress.

Once all the cakes were completed, the kids and their families headed over to Carlo’s Bakery (95 Washington Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030) to end their day with a VIP experience at the storefront that helped launch Buddy’s world fame.

“Today was all about these kids and their families,” said Buddy. “Everyone here, Make-A-Wish, me, and my family and staff, just wanted to bring them joy and give them a day that they’ll never forget.”