Hello FFP Bloggers!
For those that don’t know me, my name is Silvia Marte and I’m Vice-president of Fashion for Philanthropy. I’ve been a FFP member for 3 years now, and it has truly been a rewarding experience! The fashion aspect of the club, for instance, our fashion shows, our fashion blogs, and our visits to FIT, are all very exciting! And I love preparing for our anticipated annual fashion show! Even though I love the fashion aspect, I have to admit that my favorite thing about the club is its dedication to philanthropy. Fashion for Philanthropy fundraises for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York and Western New York, a non-profit organization that sits very close to my heart because I myself am a wish-recipient. The first time I heard about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, I was about 13 years old, and I was listening in on a conversation that my mother was having with her co-worker. Her friend had heard about this non-profit organization that grants wishes to children that have life-threatening medical conditions and she immediately thought of me. My mother and I were suddenly intrigued and excited! We had no idea that this type of organization even existed! We quickly filled out the applications and submitted the referrals and after a couple of weeks, a Make-A-Wish volunteer contacted my mother and I for a meeting to discuss my wish. I remember my big day when I finally had to meet with the volunteers to tell them what I wanted my wish to be. I was extremely nervous and shy but with much encouragement from the volunteers and my mother, I finally spilled it: ‘I wish to go on a shopping spree.’ With the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation team, I was granted a wish for a shopping spree at the Mall of Americas in Minnesota and an exclusive invite by Snoopy himself to the Knott's Camp Snoopy Park now known as Nickelodeon Universe. It was a dream come true!
My wish experience was truly amazing and an event that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I was treated like a princess, with the limo waiting for me outside my house, a volunteer picking me up from the airport and escorting me to the hotel, shopping in all my favorite stores, and meeting Snoopy. The wish experience made me forget about the hardships that my family and I were going through because of my condition. I finally was able to enjoy just being a normal kid. The Make-A-Wish Foundation gives once-in-a-lifetime experiences to thousands of children just like myself who want to experience a day with no worries or sadness. Make-A-Wish Foundation gave me as well as many other wish-recipients the encouragement and confidence to continue following our dreams even with our condition.
Fashion for Philanthropy club continues to fundraise and increase awareness for this amazing cause. FFP’s goal this year is to fundraise $10,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which will allow one child’s wish to come true! For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York and Western New York, please go to http://metrony.wish.org/
