News
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado and Elitch Gardens
Salute “Kids for Wish Kids”
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo.— Elitch Gardens will open its gates for free to more than 3,500 students on Wednesday, June 25 to celebrate their fundraising efforts for the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Colorado’s Kids for Wish Kids program. The Kids for Wish Kids program gives schools and organizations across the state the opportunity to sponsor wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. This year, 51 schools and organizations participated, collecting more than $65,000.
Trailblazer Elementary, Fort Morgan Middle and Arapahoe High schools will be recognized as the top three fundraising schools, donating $15,321.05 collectively. Arapahoe High School took top honors and broke their own record set last year, raising $11,715.58. All students at Trailblazer Elementary, Fort Morgan Middle and Arapahoe High school will receive free admission to the park.
Elitch Gardens donated an additional 3,000 discounted tickets to those schools that met the Challenge 25- a competition for all Colorado schools to raise $2,500 in honor of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado’s 25th Anniversary. Mountain Vista High School in Highlands Ranch earned an Honorable Mention nod for raising more than $10,000 in their first year to adopt Danielle’s wish to go to Disney World.
Megan Barber, Elitch Gardens spokesperson said, “Elitch Gardens is proud to be a part of Kids for Wish Kids, a program that gives students an outlet to help other kids just like them. We are excited that we can provide these students with a day of fun to reward their hard work.”
Four current Wish Kids are planning to attend the all-day fun day, but Arapahoe High School wish adoptee Marcus will not be one of them. Arapahoe High School sponsored Marcus’ wish to visit Disney, which is where he’ll be on Wednesday, fulfilling his dream to “have fun and go on all the rides”.
This is the second year the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado and Elitch Gardens have teamed up to honor the fundraising efforts of the area’s top money-making schools on a day aptly coined WISH Wednesday.
About the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Kids For Wish Kids is a Make-A-Wish Foundation of Colorado program that enables students to discover philanthropy by selecting their own fundraising project and managing it from start to finish, with little or no help from their teachers, coaches or mentors. Go to www.wishcolorado.org for more information.
About Elitch Gardens
Located in downtown Denver, Elitch Gardens is a 118-year-old tradition of affordable family fun and entertainment offering two parks in one, a family theme park and the Island Kingdom Water Park. New for 2008… a frightfully fun interactive family ride, Ghost Blasters!…Elitch Gardens Summer Concert Series - Saturday nights in June, July and August featuring stars like Billy Ray Cyrus, Randy Travis and many more…All this for only $34.99, a $10 savings from last year’s main gate! Go to elitchgardens.com for more information.
