Wrens Wish Day With Make-A-Wish Oregon
About the project
One of our “silver bullets” this year was to give back – so in August of 2016 we partnered with Make-A-Wish in Portland, Oregon to throw a surprise block party to celebrate the wish of a new backyard pool granted for Wren, an awesome little girl who is coping with a degenerative spine disorder.
She wished for a swim spa. What she got was a lot more. She got a day named in her honor. She got the ultimate surprise block party. More importantly, she got a community of friends, family and the many local businesses that rallied behind her.
Wren has spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative muscle disease that makes her weaker over time and has required her to use a wheelchair since she was three years old. When Make-A-Wish Oregon asked her what would make her happy and bring her joy, she said a swim spa that would allow her to get out of her wheelchair and float. More importantly, it would give her the ability to have pool parties with her friends and to participate and feel like a part of the group. Wren’s wish stems from her love of mermaids. She said they remind her of the feeling of being free in the water.
The pool allows her freedom of movement and special time with her friends. With help from the mayor’s office, August 6th was declared ‘National Mermaid Day’ in her honor (big mermaid fanatic, who isn’t). Manifold is honored by the dozens of companies and individuals from the community that came together to make this magical day happen. Thank you to Make-A-Wish Oregon for the opportunity to help and everyone who volunteered and supported the event! Please consider supporting your local Make-A-Wish chapter and learning more about Spinal Muscular Atrophy at www.curesma.org.
Services Provided
- Campaign Management
- Creative Direction
- Public Relations
Special thanks to all of those who donated to support Wren’s wish: Marquis Spa; J. Beals Construction; Oliver’s Precision Electric; The Office of City of Portland Mayor Charlie Hales; The Rose City Raindrops; The Oregon Mermaids; M’chel Bauxal Makeup; Lakeshore Learning Materials; free rides to and from the event from Uber; musical entertainment by The Sentiments; the Costume Team from The Librarian; Food by Chipotle, VooDoo Donuts, Grand Cru Hospitality, Nohora Lambert and Kir Jensen; Target; Hollywood Lights; NW Stages; Acme Scenic; AAA Flag and Banner; Portland Party Rentals; Northwest Event Technology; Function Inc.; American Barricade; Schultz Clearwater Sanitation; Milana Gilligan Photography; Rubyheart Creative Photography; Illustrator Josh Ellingson; and Adam Cornelius.