By Melinda Rolls
An icy breeze whipped across the shoreline in Long Beach Feb. 9. The temperature hit a high of 34 degrees that day, right above the freezing mark. But instead of staying bundled up, beachgoers stripped down to swimsuits and raced into the ocean.
Thousands came out for the annual Polar Bear Splash to raise money and awareness for Make-A-Wish, a nonprofit organization that helps to grant the wishes of children with critical illnesses. The event has raised more than $10 million over the past 25 years in memory of Paulie Bradley, a Long Beach child who died of leukemia at age 4 in 1997. Bradley died shortly before his wish to play on the beach in Costa Rica, inspiring his family to create the event in his honor.
“Their original goal was to grant one wish in honor of Paulie, and from there it has grown into a huge community phenomenon,” said Caroline Ver Planck, associate director of community fundraising for Make-A-Wish Metro New York. This year alone, the gathering brought in more than $640,000.
An average wish cost is between $10,000 to $12,000, according to Ver Planck. The fundraising has helped to provide hundreds of wishes for children over the past two decades. “This community showing up at the event has been able to provide much needed medicine— we believe wishes are medicine for these families,” Ver Planck said.
The fundraisers
Masha Benitez
Masha Benitez, 21, collected donations in a cardboard box with the hand-painted words “Masha’s Team.” Benitez has fundraised for Make-A-Wish for 14 years, collecting more than $180,000 in her lifetime as she has battled with her own health struggles.
“Almost three years ago, I had a double lung transplant because I had pulmonary hypertension, and a year ago I had open heart surgery,” Benitez said. “And now I’ve started the process of a heart transplant evaluation.”
This year, she has raised more than $5,000. Benitez explained that seeing children during her time in the intensive care unit made her even more determined to help other children. She also has had a wish granted herself, attending a Disney cruise at 6 years old, which she said helped her tremendously through her treatments. “After that, I wasn’t afraid of doctors anymore,” Benitez said.
Benitez’s mom, Michele Quigley, adopted Benitez from Russia when she was 5. Quigley said that at 8, her daughter started raising money for Make-A-Wish by collecting donations in a bucket at her house.
The times Benitez has been in the ICU, Quigley said her daughter would tell her, “If I don’t make it out of here, everyone needs to continue this in my name because there are so many children that will never get a wish like I did.”
Team Connor
Team Connor is a fundraising group established in memory of Connor Troy, a wish recipient who died at age 13 in 2013 after battling mitochondrial myopathy. Connor’s family wore yellow sweatshirts in tribute to his favorite color.
“He was fortunate enough to get to make a wish right before he passed and went to Disney World to meet the Muppets, because he was a big Muppets fan,” said Ryan Troy, Connor’s brother.
Since Connor’s passing, the Troy family has helped raise $250,000 over the past 12 years to continue granting wishes in his honor. This year alone, Team Connor raised over $27,000 for Make-A-Wish.
“It’s just a really good cause you want to fight for,” Troy said. “Anytime I tell somebody we’re doing this for Make-A-Wish, they either have a personal experience with it, or they know a person who’s had an experience with it.”
Oliver’s Super Friends
Oliver McCann, 12, stood with his family and a sign that read “Oliver’s Super Friends,” the name of his fundraising team that collected over $2,400 for Make-A-Wish this year.
“I’m here because I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 5 years old,” McCann said. “I heard about this from my grandpa, and we’ve been going ever since.”
McCann was granted his wish to go to Disney World with his family in 2018 during his treatment for lymphoma. As of two years ago, he has been officially in remission for cancer.
To help give kids a similar experience, McCann has fundraised for Make-A-Wish over the past eight years. He said that during his fight with lymphoma, “There’s things that kept me going. Like this for one.”
For more information on the Make-a-Wish Foundation, click here or go to wish.org.
