When Charleston area residents go to a participating Walmart this weekend to take part in the “One Minute. One Million.” campaign sponsored by Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia and no-contract cell phone provider Straight Talk Wireless, they’ll help grant the true, heartfelt wishes of children throughout the Charleston region.
Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia is encouraging consumers to go to their local Walmart on Saturday (October 6th and 13th) to show their support for Make-A-Wish by taking part in a brief demonstration of a Straight Talk Wireless Android smart phone. For every shopper who participates, Straight Talk Wireless will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish, with the ultimate goal of raising $1,000,000. For the locations of the 11 participating Walmarts in the Charleston area, go to OneMinuteOneMillion.com.
Dana Antkowiak, marketing and communications coordinator, Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia highlighted the following example of the types of wishes that would be supported by the One Minute. One Million. campaign:
* Majestic canyons, bright blue skies and no worries – that was ten-year-old Jeffrey’s idea of the perfect wish. After weeks of research, this West Virginia wish kid, diagnosed with an immune deficiency disorder, chose to visit the famous Grand Canyon for his wish. And for him and his family, the trip was nothing short of amazing. Once Jeffrey and his family arrived in Arizona, they visited the Hoover Dam, which Jeffrey described as both a “beautiful and a majestic sight” and the Hualapai Native American Reservation, where they got to watch Native American dances and see some of their homes on the reservation. However, the highlight was getting to see the magnificent Grand Canyon. Jeffrey’s favorite experience was walking across the “Skywalk,” an all-glass walkway that sits above the canyon. Jeffrey and his family also rode in a helicopter over the South Rim of the canyon and the surrounding forest. Jeffrey described the ride as being “so fun you couldn’t describe it if you were there.” Jeffrey and his family loved having this opportunity to spend quality time together as a family, sharing laughter and making new memories. Jeffrey’s trip to the Grand Canyon is not one that will be soon forgotten.
Judith Stone, president and CEO, Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia said: “We encourage local residents to take the time to support us through this important campaign. In aligning with Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia, Straight Talk Wireless is helping us reach more kids with life-threatening medical conditions and grant their one true wish. A wish is more than just a nice thing, and its impacts extend further than a just a moment in time. A wish come true can help kids feel stronger, more energetic, and better emotionally and even physically.”
F.J. Pollak, president and CEO, TracFone Wireless Inc., the parent company of Straight Talk Wireless, said: “Straight Talk Wireless offers cell phone users contract-free, unlimited everything service on the nation’s four leading wireless networks for just $45 a month. With Straight Talk, you can get the same phones, same networks, for half the cost. Today, Straight Talk Wireless is helping our customers ‘feel richer’ in a different way by giving them an opportunity to enrich their communities and the lives of the families and children in them. We look forward to making a difference locally.”
Follow or learn more about One Minute.One Million. online at OneMinuteOneMillion.com, Straight Talk Facebook: facebook.com/StraightTalkWireless, Straight Talk Twitter: twitter.com/MyStraightTalk, Make-A-Wish Facebook: facebook.com/makeawish, Make-A-Wish Twitter: twitter.com/MakeAWish
About the Organizations
Make-A-Wish® Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia grants wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia was founded in May 1983 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bryan was a seven-year-old cancer patient who wanted to visit his favorite uncle in Texas for one of his famous piggy-back rides. Today, the chapter has granted nearly 13,000 wishes. We are the first chapter in the world to fulfill more than 700 wishes in one year.
Straight Talk Wireless® is a brand of TracFone Wireless, Inc., America’s largest no-contract cellular service provider in the U.S. with over 21.3 million subscribers, and a subsidiary of América Móvil S.A.B. de C.V. (“AMX”) (BMV: AMX; NYSE: AMX; Nasdaq: AMOV; LATIBEX: XAMXL). AMX is the leading provider of wireless services in Latin America. As of June 30, 2012, it had 251.8 million wireless subscribers – more wireless customers than AT&T and Verizon combined – and 61.2 million fixed revenue generating units in the Americas. For more information about Straight Talk, go to straighttalk.com.
Make-A-Wish® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. According to a 2011 U.S. study of wish impact, most health professionals surveyed believe a wish-come-true can have positive impacts on the health of children. Kids say wishes give them renewed strength to fight their illnesses, and their parents say these experiences help strengthen the entire family. Based in Phoenix, Make-A-Wish is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, serving children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 38 minutes. It has granted more than 212,000 wishes since its inception in 1980; nearly 14,000 in 2011 alone. Visit Make-A-Wish at wish.org.
