It Takes Time And $$$$$$ For Make-A-Wish Foundation

The story:

The flooding associated with the remnants of Hurricane Ike is striking hard at the purse strings of individuals, families, businesses, and even non-profit charities. There have been numerous stories published in the regional and local newspapers and online blogs as well as on television and radio since that fateful day, but none appear to have been hit with any more devastating a blow as the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri, whose office suffered severe damage. More importantly, they lost their furniture, tens of thousands of dollars in electronic equipment, office supplies, computers, and other items.


Thanks to a news story in the St. Louis Business Journal, we have learned that the community and those associated with the organization can say "thank you" to THF Realty for helping this outstanding charity with the issue of where to "rebuild the basics" of the organization's office while the building on Rock Hill is inspected to see what, if any, structural damage occurred on September 14th when more than five feet of water inundated the building housing the St. Louis and Missouri Chapter HQ for Make-A-Wish Foundation.

There are more details I plan to learn about this story, but here are a few basics. The Make-A-Wish Foundation helps families with those children stricken with a critical illness. Often it is a rare disease which may be incurable or inoperable. This foundation is well-liked by the media, by those who donate money and time and materials, and especially by those families who have been given a once-in-a-brief-lifetime gift such as a trip to Disney World for that one last trip before death strikes. So --- what can one do? Perhaps it is difficult with the unemployment rate at more than SEVEN percent in the region, but you could possibly donate money. You can find out more about the charity online at http://mo.wish.org for the Missouri Chapter, and if you want details on the St. Louis Chapter office (which appears to not be altogether working, perhaps because of the flood) you can see more facts online at http://stlouis.wish.org/about/facts.html and you can donate by phone by calling 314-918-9474.

Although the organization is temporarily being housed in Clayton, the mailing address remains:

Make-A-Wish Foundation
1324 N. Rock Hill Road
St. Louis, MO 63124

They will be receiving mail at the Rock Hill Road location during the cleanup and reorganization of the Missouri and St. Louis Chapter offices. However, as pointed out, THF Realty has donated temporary office space at 8251 Maryland Avenue in Clayton --- that's roughly across the street from the parking lot at Brown Shoe HQ and the next block down & across from the Clayton Straub's, for those who need landmarks. If you or your office has office supplies, fax machines, copiers, computers, furniture, make sure you contact the Make-A-Wish Foundation, because they'll need them to rebuild what water has taken away. Call them at 314-918-9474 for further information.

Also, if there is any way to come through by donating items for their upcoming "Wish Gala" on November 1st, find a way to do that. The charity lost ALL of their auction items stored in the flood-ravaged building.

It is in times like these when one should be content to have a roof overhead and be healthy enough to aid organizations like this one who grant wishes to critically ill children in what could be some darker hours. They tell me the wishes will continue to be granted for the kids even while the cleanup and rebuilding of the office is in progress.

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My view:

If all I do is my small share, it just doesn't seem enough --- so I hope you are able to contribute and make their plight less strained. The Make-A-Wish Foundation in St. Louis has strained enough of those items in the waterlogged building since that fateful September Sunday.

Editor-in-Chief
News St. Louis