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Give a Wish of LA and Alton Brown have provided a very special opportunity for Gracie and her family. Gracie has been a huge fan of Alton Brown all of her life. She watched him on Good Eats, followed him on the Food Network, and really wanted to meet him.
Gracie and her family were flown to Marietta, GA, where Alton Brown has his studio kitchen. They not only had the chance to meet him, but Gracie was able to prepare a meal with him that they were all able to sit down and enjoy together. The twins were given the opportunity to participate in parts of the meal preparation as well. They were able to check out his 'food library', herb garden, and spend time on the set. Because Alton Brown gets into the science of food, not only were they educated about their food, but Gracie was given the chance to create ice cream from Alton Brown's creation, Jet Cream.
Gracie's mom, Heather, posted this thank you to Give a Wish:
To Give A Wish-
Out of all the pictures that were taken from this wish trip, these two are my favorite. The one on the left captured one of the most genuine moments between Gracie and Alton. There were many, but this one is my favorite! The picture on the right. Well that was Alton instructing Gracie and imparting his culinary knowledge to Gracie. Alton was so genuine and attentive and willing. I can’t speak for Gracie. I can only speak for myself. So I wanted you all to know that my daughter said this about yesterday... ‘I had a great, spectacular, superb day’. And Give A Wish made that day possible! Thank you Give A Wish for making that Wish a reality. I wish I could bottle up that scream and excitement that happened in the vehicle when she saw Alton come to the door! Not only did you make Gracie’s wish come true, you made sure that the whole family was included. Thank you for realizing that the siblings of a medically challenged child need to feel included also. The twins enjoyed meeting Alton every bit as much as Gracie did! I see many trips to the grocery store in the very near future. We’ve got some Good Eats cookbooks coming and Gracie will pour over those to find the next good eat she wants to cook! A heartfelt and tearful thank you from a mother to Give A Wish
It is so wonderful to see Gracie smile and see her doing what she loves to do (cook) with her cooking idol, Alton Brown. Many thanks to those that made this opportunity possible.
Please continue to keep Gracie and her family in your prayers.
Give Kids the World Village (GKTW) was one of the greatest places my family and I have ever been. The atmosphere and the staff, employed and volunteer, were excellent and very courteous. GKTW was so awesome we spent most of day in the village because there was always something to do or something going on such as parades or themed shows. Presents were given to all the kids every morning and ice cream was served all day at no expense. The history of the place was a sobering reminder that no matter the odds stack against you that those challenges can be overcome and serve as a beacon that provides hope and happiness to many in need. Thank you Give A Wish and Give Kids the World Village for giving my family and I the greatest time we have ever experienced.
Wishes really do come true!!! Leandra's Disney Cruise was definitely a result of wishes that come true!! She was treated like a queen & received some type of gift everyday. Someone special wanted to meet Leandra, which was Mickey Mouse! We had a private greet & meet just with Mickey. The cruise was so special, we could go on & on. Thank you Ms. Paula for considering Leandra & making her wish come true. Thank you for everything, words are not enough!! A special Thank You to Paula & her great team!! You guys are the BEST!!! You will never know what you have done for Leandra & our family. You made her life brighter & sweeter during this rough period in her life.
When Layni was diagnosed with her Child Hood Disease, I would have never expected she would become a Give A Wish Kid. Her Wish was to be a princess for a day and wow did she get way more than that. I never imagined her being chosen for Grand Marshal in the Lake Charles 4th of July parade and also going to see Disney on Ice. The list goes on and on how special eveything was.
The Give A Wish foundation and volunteers went above and beyond our wildest dreams making Layni feel like royalty.
Team Roping USA's "Give A Wish" Roping weekend was a Big $uccess. Lots of CASH raised for the Give A Wish Organization. Our goal every year is to be able to give one child a wish. But We Chad N Brooke Brock, Kim N Tim Brock and Glyn Dillard are proud to announce that with the help of the many sponsors, contestants and Team Ropers the Team Roping USA "Give a Wish" Country Boy Triathlon is going to be able to give 2 Wishes to the children and their families who so deserve to have this time together!! Thank you all so much for your support to this wonderful cause!!
After a nights sleep and working today, everything still feels so surreal. When you have prayed for something, when you claim something, stand with such a large group of believers and buy a Keychain for your "FAITH", YOU FULLY EXPECT CHANGES TO HAPPEN! Expecting something is going to happen and seeing it happen are 2 completely different things!
When I entered our family into this contest, I did not prepare myself for what was about to happen. I knew I had to do something to help Tony. Physically I just can't do what he can, so I had to find a way to push this contest that could possibly end the physical struggle. I reached out to family, friends and Co workers. You guys did the rest!
I have co-workers that posted on KPLC and messaged John Bridges until they begged them to stop! (LOL, they didn't literally beg, they just ran a story!??)
I have customers who have become like family to me. They messaged me daily. Brought challenge giveaways. Encouraged me when I was in doubt.
I have met and talked with so many of you. Over half of you I have never met, but would be willing to join you on a mission for change.
I am so proud of the respect for others that each of you have shown. Even when you felt the need to protect us, you remained tactful and allowed your Christianity to shine through.
We cannot thank each of you enough. I CANNOT THANK EACH OF YOU ENOUGH!
I am AMAZED at what GOD can do if we are just willing vessels.
We have heard about miracles our whole lives. We have seen miracles daily thru smiles. It's not everyday you get to be a part of a miracle like this.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I couldn't be more grateful for all of you!
Our Give a Wish experience was by far, the best experience of our lifetime! The joy this organization brought to our lives was amazing. Thank you so much for granting Isabella’s wish. We are forever grateful. Our family had an amazing time at Disney World. There was so much to see and do and our kids loved every minute of it. We did too. ? Isabella said that all her dreams came true when she met all of her favorite princesses. She, as well as everyone else, will remember this trip forever.
Our time at Give Kids the World Village was so special. They are the kindest people and are willing to do anything for our family. They are truly people of God. Willing to serve and receive nothing in return except the smiles on those precious babies faces. Izzy had such a great time there from, playing in the castle, to making pillows from a magic tree! She has talked about Disney World every day since we got back, asking us what our favorite parts were and talking about her favorite parts. I haven’t seen her so happy and excited in so long. And for that, we are forever grateful! Again, thank you so much for this incredible experience.
Sincerely,
The LeLeux’s
Today, as I was waiting for someone to meet me for an Item up for bid, I was thinking to myself, Lord, help me know that we are doing a good job. I look up and on the only patch of grass around the concrete parking lot is covered in the little wish flowers. Amazing how He gives us signs when we ask. Thanks for all your hard work. I think HE is proud of us.
There are no words to even begin to explain how blessed we feel to of been chosen as a Give A Wish recipient!! This wish gave us the opportunity just be a
normal family instead of a family constantly dealing with doctors appointments and surgeries. One whole week we were able to forget about all the unpleasantness
that goes along with having a child with heart disease, and we were able to focus on being a family and having fun.
Our adventure started bright and early on a Friday morning as the kids waited anxiously at the front door for the limo to arrive. When they saw the limo pull up
you would of thought a teenage movie star had arrived, the kids were so excited! We loaded up and off to the airport we went to begin our week at Disneyworld.
We arrived in Orlando and was greeted by the nicest man from Give Kids the World , who helped us load up our luggage and got us to the car rental place. We arrived at Give
Kids the World shortly there after. We were greeted by some of the sweetest people who not only had a welcome gift for Dakota, but all the kids received a gift! They gave us
our welcome package and took us to eat since it was so late. We then went to the Princess tea party ,followed by a Pirate Parade! Unlimited carousel rides and ice cream were
daily treat for the kids. When we were done playing, we headed to our villa that would be our home for the next six nights. Wow, it was a home! They had a welcome package
on the table when we got there. This was our first day, we hadn't even made it to Disneyworld yet, and the kids were having a blast!
We spent the next five days in the Disney parks and at SeaWorld. We started the day with a big breakfast, prepared by GKTW, and a few days we did ice cream for breakfast too!
The pass that they give the GKTW gets you to the front of the line and because of this, Dakota got to get EVERY single autograph of EVERY character at all the parks we went to!
We ended the day with ice cream , carousel rides and some pretty happy and exhausted kids.The best thing , as a parent, was seeing Dakotas expression as she saw Tinkerbell
fly off the castle in their nightly finale.
This had been all she had been talking about since she found out about her wish. Her expression was priceless!!
Thank you so much for making dreams come true. We will forever be thankful!!
Sincerely,
Deanna Dowden and family.
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