The College of Charleston is the first university in South Carolina to start a chapter of the Make a Wish Foundation, and the first Wishmakers on Campus event will be held on Saturday, November 10, 2012.
This year, Wishmakers on Campus will raise enough money to grant a wish for Fiona, a three-year-old who has Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome. Fiona’s wish is to go to Disney World and College of Charleston students are committed to making that wish come true.
The first fundraising event is “Run, Fiona, Run!,” a one-mile fun run that starts at Physicians Promenade and ends at the Cistern. The race will start at 5:00 p.m.
Brittnee Leysen
“This is a costumed ‘fun run’, which basically means it is the perfect run for people who don’t run!” says Brittnee Leysen, a sophomore communications major and founder of Wishmakers on Campus at the College of Charleston. “It’s an amazing opportunity for students to assist the Make-A-Wish Foundation in granting the wishes of children with life-threatening conditions in our area.”
Leysen is personally attached to Fiona’s wish because this spring, she’ll participate in the Disney College Program as a character performer and will be able to see Fiona’s wish fulfilled. “I plan to stay involved with Make-A-Wish while at Disney and will hopefully be able to create some extra magic for the children from our area,” she says.
Leysen, who is also a College of Charleston Bonner Leader and recently served as the chair for the South Carolina Make a Wish chapter’s annual fund raiser, has a dream, too: to someday work as the Make a Wish liaison for the Walt Disney Company.
Admission for the race for Fiona is $3 and donations are accepted. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. If you have any questions or would like to be a part of the event staff, contact Brittnee Leysen at cofcwishmakers@gmail.com
