June 3, 2019

Clarke Makes a Special Donation to Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Make a Wish 6

 

 

 

The Make-a-Wish Foundation of America, specifically, the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Chapter, is an incredible organization that has been helping to fulfill the wishes of young children battling critical illnesses since 1987.   Since its beginning, this chapter has fulfilled the wishes of 8,500 local children ages 2 ½ -18 and this year alone, they will fulfill 400 wishes.

In November of 2018, Clarke was connected to Make-a-Wish MA and RI just as they were moving into their new Boston headquarters.  Clarke was immediately drawn to the organization, their mission and their desire for a new café meeting space that would be the central hub of their new headquarters.  Clarke was both humbled and privileged to contribute to the Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island’s dream space by making an in-kind donation of Sub-Zero appliances.

Pictured above is a Sub-Zero Fridge and Freezer Column and Asko Dishwasher

Clarke got the opportunity to visit the new office space in Boston this past March where they got to tour the Massachusetts and Rhode Island new headquarters and learn more about the inspiring mission of Make-a-Wish.  Charlotte Beattie, CEO of Make-A-Wish MA and RI was able to give us more detail into the new Make-A-Wish MA and RI office space and the “behind the scenes” of the organization.

“We wanted to design a space where we could bring our impact to the next level and bring the community in” says Beattie.  The social hub and integral feature of Make-A-Wish MA and RI headquarters is the Make a Wish Café- a multipurpose space that is used for volunteer trainings, staff meetings events and a place where people can simply meet for lunch daily.  “Thanks to the generosity of our community and Clarke’s magnificent donation, we feel that our new space expresses exactly what we wanted to achieve, as the Make a Wish Café is the center piece of our new space.  It is really the ‘hub’ of the Boston office and gives everyone a sense of community when they use the space” says Beattie.

Pictured above is a Sub-Zero Fridge and Beverage drawers for their main conference room

Beattie explains that all it takes is for locals to hear about Make-A-Wish, and they are immediately drawn to the mission and want to help; whether it’s through donations towards the new space, donations towards wishes or volunteering at the Boston office.   “We are an organization whose grass roots are the members of this community.  We couldn’t do what we do without the heavy involvement within the community.”   Make a Wish MA and RI would not be able to do what they do without their amazing volunteers.  “We have over 600 volunteers who work collaboratively with our staff to visit the kids who get recommended to us and help to fulfill their wishes”.  One thing we found particularly remarkable, is that some of MAW volunteers who are now young adults but were once children who were recipients of a wish from this organization.  “People whose wish helped them now come back as adults to help other kids to get the same opportunity” says Beattie.  These volunteers help by sharing their story and mission at events to help gain awareness and by helping to fulfill other children’s wishes.

In addition to getting the privilege of helping local children fulfill their wishes, this organization is also privileged to help children from other chapters who come to Boston with wishes like hoping to meet Tom Brady or throw a first pitch at Fenway Park.

Clarke is incredibly honored and humbled to have gotten the opportunity to contribute to the new Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island Boston office.