Wednesday 1 November 2006

Mariah to receive honors at Make-A-Wish Foundation gala

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles will host its 7th annual Wish Night Awards Gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Friday, November 17, 2006. The evening will begin with a pre-event cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by a dinner and awards reception at 7:30 p.m. The star-studded event will honor celebrities and companies who have supported the organization's mission to brighten the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions in Los Angeles County by fulfilling their one most heartfelt wish.

The honorees for Wish Night 2006 are: performer, songwriter, and the top-selling female artist in history, Mariah Carey, who will receive the inaugural Wish Icon Award; acclaimed producer, director and actress Penny Marshall, and Emmy Award-winning actor Eric McCormack, who will each receive the Celebrity Wish Granter Award; Paul Rusnak of Rusnak Auto Group who will receive the Individual Wish Granter Award; and RTKL Associates, Inc. and Turner Construction Company, which will each receive the Corporate Wish Granter Award. Musician, singer and songwriter Jake Coco will provide entertainment for the evening.

Wish recipients and their families will present each award and share how their lives have been impacted by a wish, such as nine-year-old Ryan's wish to be a zookeeper at the National Zoo after surviving a severe congenital defect.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to recognize such prominent members of our community for their involvement in supporting wish fulfillment for children and their families. It is particularly exciting to honor Mariah Carey with the Wish Icon award for her extraordinary generosity and her many wish granting achievements throughout her career," said Kelli Seely, president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. Together, those we are honoring tonight have brightened the lives of many children and the family members who love them.

In addition to her multi-award winning career as a performer and songwriter, Carey has also been a committed volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She has personally granted dozens of wishes for children from across the country. Many children have taken Carey's place at music awards shows, thanks to her generosity. Carey also donates to help grant performing arts/music wishes; she has donated in the six figures to fund more than 20 wishes. The pop legend was also willing to take the stage for the Foundation when it celebrated its 25th anniversary.

In his eight seasons playing Will Truman on the smash NBC comedy Will & Grace, Eric McCormack and cast were thrilled to welcome five kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For actors whose dream has come true, there's nothing like being a part of helping children realize a fondest wish, said the Emmy Award winner for Leading Actor in a Comedy. McCormack hails from Toronto, Canada, where he got his start as an actor 20 years ago. After five seasons with the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, and stints in theatres across Canada, he ventured into the United States, and into television. He made his Broadway debut starring as The Music Man in 2001, and returned to the New York stage this spring in Neil LaBute's Some Girl(s). His company, Big Cattle Prods., is in its second year, and recently produced the critically acclaimed comedy series Lovespring International for Lifetime.

Producer, director and actress Penny Marshall has been working in front of audiences and behind the scenes to support the wish granting efforts of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. She participated in the auction at the Foundation's Wine Tasting and Auction fundraiser, appeared in a segment of the chapter's A Season of Wishes 2006 holiday campaign, and is currently working on a yet-to-be-announced project behind the camera for the Foundation. Marshall is one of Hollywood's best-known names, from her legendary work as an actress in Laverne & Shirley to her work behind the camera directing such beloved films as Big, A League of Their Own, and Awakenings.

Paul Rusnak, owner of Rusnak Auto Group, has done a tremendous job to help raise awareness and funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles through his wish granting efforts.In addition to the sponsorship support Rusnak Auto Group provided for The Walt Disney Company's celebration of Make-A-Wish Foundation's 25th anniversary, Rusnak-hosted wish awareness and fundraising events have included the Rusnak Luxury Experience event, which granted four-year-old racecar lover Pierre's wish to be a racecar driver; Rusnak's Riding On a Wish fashion show, which provided 15-year-old wish child Julia with a stunning debut on the runway; and Rusnak's 40th Anniversary at the Pops in Pasadena, where nine-year-old Frankie was a guest of honor and given a special tour of Dodger Stadium as a special gift. Rusnak also graciously hosted a fundraiser which provided friends and supporters of the Los Angeles chapter, along with five wish children, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the reigning Miss USA, Miss Universe, and the 85 Miss Universe contestants.

Rusnak was also fundamental in fostering the success of the first two Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles Wish Open Golf Tournaments, providing new model Bentleys each year and other luxury automobiles as invaluable prize opportunities.

RTKL Associates Inc., a worldwide architecture, engineering, planning and creative services organization; and Turner Construction Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Turner Corporation, the nation's leading general builder; teamed up in December of 2005 to fulfill wish child Joshua Bailey's request for a cool fort in his backyard after his dad's heart attack interrupted his initial building attempt.

After Joshua selected a spherical fort design during a contest held last November at RTKL Associates' office in downtown Los Angeles, volunteers from Turner Construction Company worked in Joshua's backyard for three weeks to construct the dwelling while hiding it behind a tarp. The final unveiling of the fort was a monumental event that brought friends, family, neighbors and workers together in the backyard and resulted in media stories in every major Los Angeles print and broadcast news outlet along with the satisfaction of an amazing wish fulfillment experience.

Over the past six years, Wish Night has been responsible for the fulfillment of hundreds of wishes. Past Wish Night celebrity honorees have included: Halle Barry, Brad Garrett, Nick Lachey, David Foster and Luc Robitaille. In 2005, Wish Night guests contributed $116,000 in just 20 minutes through the chapter's unique wish-sponsorship live auction entitled Fund-A-Wish.

(Make-A-Wish Foundation)



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