Volunteers from the All-Volunteer Hammonton Wishing Well Chapter of the Sunshine Foundation held their Craft Show for Sunshine Foundation on December 11 at the Frog Rock Golf and Country Club.
Money raised will help answer the dream of Virginia Hernedez. Hernedez, age 11, is diagnosed with low-functioning autism. She dreams of meeting Mickey and Minnie in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
“I’m very happy and playful. Sometimes people don’t see that in me because I have autism. My family sees this in me, which is why I would love to experience this dream trip with them,” Hernedez said.
The craft show was organized by volunteers from the All-Volunteer Hammonton Wishing Well Chapter of the Sunshine Foundation. Over the years, they have raised funds to send children and their families to Disney World, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, LEGOLAND Florida and the attractions in Central Florida.
“All vendor spots were filled, with a waiting list! We also got terrific feedback from all the vendors and the shoppers as well. Everyone raved how nice everything was and that there was such a variety of things. We are pretty proud of ourselves for having such a successful first time event,” Susie Pyontek, Chapter Volunteer said.
Sunshine Foundation also answers Special Dreams like shopping sprees, computers and iPads, meeting celebrities, above ground swimming pools, family trips, adaptive tricycles and other special needs equipment.
Sunshine Foundation answers dreams to children with life-long chronic illnesses and conditions such as: spina bifida, cerebral palsy, severe low-functioning autism, Down syndrome, hydrocephalus, severe epilepsy, Sickle Cell Disease, blindness, deafness and many others.
Sunshine Foundation provides a Dream Come True for children that may be turned away from other wish-granting organizations that require a life-threatening or critical diagnosis. Sunshine Foundation relies on the generosity of donations from individuals, groups and corporations to make these dreams a reality.
Sunshine Foundation is the original wish-granting organization in the United States, established in 1976, and continuously a top-rated charity expending over 80 percent of each dollar on programs benefitting children with severe special needs.
Sunshine Foundation answers the dreams of children, ages 3 through 18, who have severe or profound physical/developmental/intellectual challenges or trauma from physical/sexual abuse, and whose families cannot fulfill their requests due to financial strain that the child’s illness may cause. Sunshine Foundation has spread Sunshine into the lives of more than 41,500 children throughout the United States.
Sunshine Foundation is a publicly funded charity, with donations from individuals throughout the country, corporate and family foundation grants, trusts and wills, fundraising events; including ones held on our behalf by all-volunteer chapters of the Sunshine Foundation, individual families, corporate and civic groups, and even former Dream recipient families “paying it forward.” For more information to refer a child for a dream or to make a donation, please visit www.sunshinefoundation.org.