Whitecourt princess kicks off Make-A-Wish holiday event

By Reed Clements

 

Four-year old Dessa Fitzherbert, a Whitecourt local, got an early Christmas present at the opening ceremony of Make-A-Wish Northern Alberta’s Calendar of Wishes event in Edmonton last week.

 

The 24-day event features a giant advent calendar on display in Abbey Glen Park. The doors of the calendar are adorned with the names of the children whose wishes they will grant, and the logos of the generous corporate sponsors that help these wishes come true.

 

Every day at noon from Dec 1 to 24, one of the doors will open and one sick child will have their wish granted. Dessa, who suffers from progressive liver and kidney disease, wished to meet the Disney princesses.

 

She arrived with her family in a limo, dressed as a princess. She got to help Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson push the button that unveiled the eight-metre tall calendar.

 

Mayor Iveson later opened Dessa’s door, which is at the centre of the calendar. Thanks to Make-A-Wish, Dessa and her family will travel to Disneyland later this month, to make Dessa’s wish come true.

 

“For a family coping with a life-threatening medical condition, a wish can be transformative,” said Make-A-Wish communications and medical outreach coordinator Sophia Birchall.

 

The idea for the calendar came from Alyson Hodson, vice president of the Make-A-Wish board, who saw a similar calendar in Turin, Italy last winter. Hodson’s company, Zag Creative, along with Melcor, Keller Construction, and William Huff Advertising, worked closely with Make-A-Wish Northern Alberta to make the calendar a reality.

Canadian Tire, whose logo appears on Dessa’s door, sponsors the event.

 

“Each day is sponsored and all money stays locally to grant wishes for children in Northern Alberta,” said Birchall.

 

On Dec 22, the Community Door will open. Anyone who wants to contribute to making local wishes a reality can contribute to this door, and Crystal Glass will match community donations up to $4,500.

 

The calendar will remain on display for anyone who wants to see it until Jan 7.