August 2014
Transcription
August 2014
NATIONAL BOARD ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Fall Newsletter | August 2014 The Make-A-Wish Car is Winning Races, Making Pit Stops and Granting Wishes The Terry Chandler-sponsored Funny Car is winning on and off the race track. Tommy Johnson, Jr. and Make-A-Wish Team win Bristol Sunday, June 15. Bristol, Tenn. The NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. It’s race day. With the Make-A-Wish Funny Car, Tommy Johnson, Jr. and his Terry Chandlersponsored team earned their first win together and surely made a lot of wishes come true. When Chandler opted to fund the fourth DSR Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car team at DSR, she knew she wanted to hire Johnson to drive. This 10th event title of Johnson’s career enabled him to jump four spots – to third place – in the Mello Yello standings. “There’s a lot of people I have to thank including everyone in the pits, but I have to thank Don Schumacher and Terry Chandler for the opportunity to drive the car,” Johnson said. “And it makes it even better to associate with Make-A-Wish and raise awareness for them. It’s just great. We just let everyone know what great things they do for these kids that are fighting life-threatening illnesses. To see them smile when they’re going through tough things warms my heart, and now we got them a win!” Want to go to the races? Contact Suzie Allen at [email protected] for a copy of the full summer race schedule. Special New Jersey Trip for Make-A-Wish Team Recently, the Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T team has been recognized at special events and tournaments for its performance. On June 4, the team paid a visit to New Jersey’s Monroe Township, about 30 minutes from the Englishtown racetrack. The stopover gave New Jersey chapter president and chief executive Thomas P. Weatherall an opportunity to thank sponsor Terry Chandler for her support of Make-A-Wish, which does not contribute any money to the race team. Chandler, along with team owner Don Schumacher and several members of the DSR organization, were enthralled by the Samuel and Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place, which resembles a castle and serves as a meeting place for wish kids and their families. Earlier this year, at the Summernationals at Englishtown, the Make-A-Wish team was honored with its first NHRA Wally trophy of the season when it was selected as the Best Appearing Crew. $35,000 for 35 Years The members of the National Board Alumni Association have watched Make-A-Wish grow from its very first wish to our record wish-granting success last year – 14,003 wishes! And now, we have the opportunity to do even more. In honor of the 35th anniversary of Make-A-Wish, an online fundraiser was created to help raise $35,000. These funds will be used not only to grant the wishes of several wish kids, but also to host those kids at the Disneyland celebration in October 2015. With $24,500 already raised, we are well on our way! Hats off to our alumni who have already made a donation to this campaign and are now listed on our Honor Roll of Donors: Suzie Allen Tommy Austin Lorna Bishop Pat Clemency Steve Cohen Cathy Davis Linda Kaplan Gil Rudolph Jeff Spiegel Dick Van Klaveren As we join forces with the National Board of Directors, the national staff and our volunteers and donors, we are excited to elevate the Board Alumni role to the next level. Please consider joining your fellow alumni in creating a memorable celebration for all of us and the wish kids. You can visit wish.org/NBAA35 to track our progress, see the Honor Roll of Donors and make your gift. Make a Legacy Gift Every year, more than 1 trillion air miles are lost because they are often overlooked during estate planning. These lost miles could take a kid to the site of their ultimate wish and provide a family with a lifetime of memories. By adding one simple sentence to your will, any air miles that you have accumulated with the airlines in our program can be donated to Make-A-Wish. And when you donate, the miles will never expire. Let us know if you decide to contribute – we will be happy to help and hope to track alumni participation in this program. Sample Frequent Flyer Mileage Bequest Language If donating miles to Make-A-Wish America to be distributed to chapters for nationwide use: “I give the balance of my (Delta Airlines or United Airlines) frequent flyer miles, account # _______________________ to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, 4742 North 24th St., Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85016, tax ID 86-0481941, to be used or disposed of as its board of directors deems appropriate in its sole discretion.” If you’d like to designate your local Make-A-Wish chapter: “I give the balance of my (Delta Airlines or United Airlines) frequent flyer miles, account # ______________________ to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, 4742 North 24th St., Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ 85016, tax ID 86-0481941, to grant the wishes of children served by Make-A-Wish (Chapter).” A Surprise Donation The NBAA Wishes in Flight campaign received quite a boost from one of our newest alumni members, Liz Ann Sonders. In February 2013, Liz Ann, a member of the National Board at the time, hosted a cultivation event at her home in Naples, Fla. Among her guests were her friends, Roch and Carol Hillenbrand, who, by the end of the evening, made a most generous donation of 1.25 million airline miles to Make-A-Wish. Then, just this spring, Mr. Hillenbrand sponsored a financial seminar at Boston College and invited Liz Ann, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, to speak at the conference. As a thank you, Mr. Hillenbrand sent another generous gift of 750,000 airline miles to Make-a-Wish! Liz Ann has designated these miles to the Connecticut chapter, where she is now a member of the Board of Directors. You, too, can bring in miles that will change a child’s life. Just send out the Friends and Family note to your circle of friends, inviting them to join you in supporting the Wishes in Flight campaign. Need a copy of the Friends and Family note? Contact Jeff Spiegel at [email protected]. NBAA Mini Reunion NBAA Alumni News On April 25 and 26, 18 NBAA members and their spouses came together for the NBAA meeting in Boston, Mass. As David Williams introduced the alumni during the board dinner, we realized that there was alumni representation from each decade of our history. Quite impressive! James E. “Jim” Gordon is now president and chair of the Board of Directors at The Mediation Center. Pat Clemency1984-88 Joan Mazak1984-88 Jane and Chris Martens1985-91 Dennis Covelli1990-95 Dr. Paul Berkner1992-97 Jeff and Geryl Spiegel1992-97 David Mulvihill1993-98 Suzanne Sutter2001-05 Suzie and Ned Allen2003-09 Larry Byar2004-10 John Round2004-10 Bob Paglia2006-12 Liz Ann Sonders2007-13 Nicole Parent & Phil Haughey2012-13 That weekend, several alumni met to receive updates on the three major initiatives being pursued in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Make-A-Wish and brainstormed ways to promote and reach our goals. It was a successful endeavor and one we hope to duplicate in the future! We are always eager to hear your news. Travel adventures, family accomplishments, career moves, etc. Drop us a line and share your experiences with your fellow alumni. Please contact Mary Jane Irwin at the National Office at [email protected] or Suzie Allen at [email protected]. Photos below from left to right: Nicole Haughey, Liz Ann Sonders and DeborahThompson Bob Pagila, John and Debra Round and Martha Williams Joan Mazak, Jane Martens, Dr. Paul Berkner and Jeff Spiegel NBAA Mini Reunion Guests Dennis Covelli, Larry Byar and John Round Dr. Paul Berkner surrounded by Jane Martens, Pat Clemency, Joan Mazak, David Mulvihill and Jeff Speigel