87b5587f713bade489d01d43436a6f23.jpg

MONROE: Wishes come true inside Wishing Place

Amy Batista, Special Writer
   MONROE — Dec. 2 marked a day of celebration for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey, which opened its the doors to the Samuel and Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place — a 20,000-square-foot castle unlike any other building in America.
   With a little help from Disney Imagineers and a firm that specializes in Broadway staging and theater, it is the first building of its kind on the East Coast.
   A wish can be granted on any given day.
   ”Each year, close to 500 children in New Jersey experience the magic and power of a wish. It is through the incredible generosity of our contributors, the dedication of our volunteers and the tireless support of our staff that each of these wishes becomes a reality,” according to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey website, nj.wish.org.
   The Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey has granted 7,000 wishes for children battling life-threatening medical conditions.
   The foundation also had made a wish — to construct a “wishing place” where children from all parts of the state will come to imagine the impossible and begin their magical wish journey.
   While a trip to Disney World is the most popular request, contributing to 40 percent of the wishes, the foundation also has fulfilled children’s wishes to meet celebrities. Many meet their favorite athletes and sports teams such as the New York Giants. Some go on shopping sprees, some have a bedroom makeover or, as with a recent granted wish, do some baking with “Cake Boss” — Buddy Valastro, who built a cake in the shape of the Samuel and Josephine Wishing Place at its grand opening last month.
   As one enters the wishing place castle, one is greeted with coats of arms and simulated stained-glass windows. At the entrance, there is a stained-glass window depicting a lavishly attired princess who is bald, similar to children being treated for cancer. In her left hand, she holds a star radiating light.
   Additional stained-glass windows depict other wish kids, some who look similar to children being treated, a child with cancer or children in wheelchairs.
   ”The wow factor does not stop when you walk in the door,” said Tom Weatherall, president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey. “We needed to continue in here.”
   The lavish decorations continue throughout the castle. There is also a donor wall that recognizes all the donors who have donated. Stars hang on the wall representing the amounts of donations contributed.
   Lifelike plants, trees and vines create a setting like that of an enchanted forest while songbirds chirping add to the atmosphere.
   ”There are a group of people that make this mission happen,” Mr. Weatherall said. “It’s a symbiotic relationship; one relies on the other. So wish children are at the heart of it and their families, donors and volunteers, staff, board (all support them). With one group missing, it doesn’t get done.”
   There are 300 volunteers at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey.
   ”The medical community tells us very often that the child facing a life-threatening illness can’t see beyond their present circumstances. Their illness or their immediate environment has stifled their imagination,” said Mr. Weatherall as he stood outside The Chris Greicius Inspiration Room.
   ”For 28 years here in New Jersey and 31 years nationally, our organization has gone to the children’s living room or hospital room to conduct the wish-granting interview. It has worked wonderfully, but we have come to learn that they are not the most conducive spaces to conduct the interview, but we never really had that third option, that third alternative until now.”
   He added, “The medical community is our biggest referral source. I find that to be a great testament of our mission because even they know that we step in where science and medicine leave off.”
   Upstairs, there are additional rooms, which are considered the essential pieces of the wish-granting experience and are for the eyes of wish kids only.
   ”We don’t want to breech the integrity of the wonder and magic of these rooms,” Mr. Weatherall said. “When the wish child comes, they are truly seeing it for the first time. If there was a video or photos of these rooms, and if a wish child who has not yet had their wish granted was to see it, we think something would be lost.”
   First stop for most wish kids is The Chris Greicius Inspiration Room, whom the foundation is named after. It is designed to stimulate the imagination without influencing any one wish.
   Wishes usually fit into one of the following categories — I wish to go, I wish to be, I wish to meet, and I wish to have.
   ”We hope that every child that enters the Chris Greicius Inspiration Room and hasn’t made a firm decision about what their wish might be will feel a sense of comfort and relaxation,” said Kathleen Ciarco, Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey board member and donor, along with her husband, Philip, for the Inspiration Room. “And as they look around, taking in all the decorations designed to stimulate their imagination and inspire their greatest wish, something clicks and “poof,” another wish decision is declared. Then, onto the Wishing Room for an experience that they and their families will never forget.”
   Mr. Weatherall said, “When a child is ready to declare their wish, it may be the very same day that they’ve come here and gone through the Inspiration Room. Not every child will use the Inspiration Room; some already know when we go to see them.”
   ”Our volunteers are trained to be sure that it truly is the child’s wish, not mom’s or dad’s or a sibling’s and that it is the child’s fondest wish as we are looking to elicit and discern,” said Mr. Weatherall as he stood outside The Wishing Room explaining more of the wish- granting process.
   The Wishing Room, is another private place where a child declares his or her wish.
   ”These rooms are the heart of the wish-making and wish-granting experience,” Mr. Ciarco said. “We are so happy that they now have these rooms to help enhance the wish-making and granting process.”
   He added, “When you have been fortunate enough to have a healthy family and have achieved some level of success, I think it is important to give back and identify organizations whose missions are aligned with your beliefs. No organization fits this bill better than Make-A-Wish. I once heard that you spend the first third of your life learning, the second third earning and the last third returning. I think there is a lot to be learned from those words.”
   Also among the noteworthy rooms is a multipurpose room, which also is used from time to time as a theater for special performances, volunteer training, wish family gatherings and bon voyage celebrations.
   There is also a teen lounge upstairs so the teen crowd has a special place to hang out.
   ”My motivation was driven by being the father of two teens and a 12-year-old and understanding how difficult coming of age is even under the best circumstances,” said Joseph Berardo, Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey board member and donor for the teen lounge. “The teen room endowment allowed me to bring my own three children together with ‘wish teens’ in designing the room. I feel the lesson was powerful for both groups. My children saw firsthand how brave and special the wish teens are. The wish teens saw that people really care and are focused on how teens are unique.”
   He added, “The teen room experience allowed me to interact and have discussions with my children about things that I don’t think we would have ever spent time on had we not been involved in this. Mortality, charitable giving and spending time on something that is bigger than you are not things parents and kids get to spend a lot of time on. I got a lot of questions from my three children about diseases and treatments. I got questions on why they would name a room after our family, etc. It allowed us to explore things that were very special.”
   He continued, “Through participation in the creation of this room, my 17-year-old is organizing several clubs at Wall High School to have a walkathon to raise money for Make-A-Wish, my 13-year-old daughter announced she wanted to work for Make-A-Wish after college, and my brother and sister-in-law have decided to sponsor an annual wish.”
   Outside, there is an expansive courtyard where picnics, outdoor concerts, receptions and other special celebrations will be held, and the Pond of Hope allows wish kids to enjoy the serenity of the water.
   ”I’ve stopped answering what’s the greatest wish we’ve ever granted. ‘Look at the face, look at that smile,’ I told my staff. That’s what we want to aspire to on every single wish,” said Mr. Weatherall as he pointed to Bryce’s (a wish kid who died from a brain tumor at age 4) photograph hanging on his wall in his office.