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How Can I Help?
How Individuals Can Help - How Businesses Can Help - Kids for Wish Kids - Featured Supporters
Brownie Troop 561
The girls in Brownie Troop 561 in Auburn/Lewiston were
inspired to help Make-A-Wish for their fellow troop member Hailey, who
has brain cancer and has made a wish to go to Walt Disney World Resort.
Seven-year-old Hailey and her family organized a team called "Hailey's Army"
to participate in our Walk For Wishes in Lewiston last May, and some of the
girls in her troop joined the walk. All together, "Hailey's Army" raised
nearly $3,000!
When Hailey's friends in Brownie Troop 561 heard about our magical "wish
closet" where we keep toys and gifts for our wish children, they decided
they wanted to help stock the closet for other wish children. All items
are donated, and the closet frequently needs replenishing, so the girls
in the Brownie Troop came up with a clever plan to collect items.
Armed with a list of what was needed, each girl bought some items to start
collection bins. They then worked with the Auburn Dollar Store, telling
the employees what types of items were needed. The Dollar Store kindly
displayed boxes of those items by each cash register, and asked customers
if they'd like to purchase an item to go towards the Make-A-Wish closet.
The girls then collected the donation bins, which had been generously
filled with crayons, playing cards, books, coloring books, game and
puzzle books, sudoko games, travel tooth brushes, disposable cameras,
jewelry making kits, etc.
Many wish children will be delighted thanks to the generosity and ingenuity
of the girls in Brownie Troop 561.
About Our Wish Closet
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine provides "travel bags" filled with all
kinds of fun things for all wish children and their siblings who are going
on travel related wishes. AND, since travel related wishes make up about
80% of the wishes we grant every year...that's a lot of goodies needed to
put inside! We have a wish closet in our Camden office that houses different
items to fill travel bags, and we could use some help stocking it up! Below
are some examples of the types of items we're looking for - basically
anything fun to keep kids occupied while waiting in airports or to occupy
their time while in the air.
- Phone cards (both for U.S. and international travel)
- Disposable cameras (we send these out with each family that travels)
- Teen/adult toothbrushes
- Small handheld electronic games and
- Non-electronic games
- Coloring books
- Picture books
- Word search books, crossword books, activity books
- Sudoku books
- 'tween to teenage books
- Construction paper and scribble pads
- Journals
- Playing cards
- Small stuffed toys appropriate for children under age 3
Those are just a few ideas to get you started! You can hold a
collection drive for the items, or you can hold a fundraiser and
then use the money to shop for the items yourself.
For more information, of if you have questions regarding items for
our Wish Closet, please contact Melinda Ferrazza at the Make-A-Wish office
at 1-800-491-3171 or mferrazza@maine.wish.org.
Some of the Troop members joined "Hailey's Army" team and
walked
at the Lewiston Walk For Wishes in May, helping to raise nearly $3,000 for
wishes.
The members of Brownie Troop #561 display some of the many items they
collected for the "Wish Closet."
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