July 13, 2011
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Wish details:
Brendan Galanaugh — Going One-on-One against Landon Donovan
Age: 7; Hometown: Lakewood, Colo.; Condition: acute myelocytic leukemia
- Wish: To meet Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy and U.S. Men’s National Team
- Brendan was presented with his own locker between Landon Donovan and David Beckham, which included a personalized No. 10 Galaxy uniform inside.
- Donovan led Brendan to the practice field, where the newest Galaxy player stretched and passed the ball around with teammates.
- After practice, Brendan and Donovan took turns trying to score goals on each other.
- Brendan returned for a Galaxy game two days later, where he walked out with Donovan for the pregame ceremonies, coin toss and a pre-match photo with the team’s starting lineup.
Michael Acosta — Managing the Minnesota Twins with Ron Gardenhire
Age: 18; Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas; Condition: testicular cancer
- Wish: Manage the Minnesota Twins for a day
- Twins’ manager Gardenhire met Michael in his office, and they discussed strategy for making out the lineup for that evening’s game against the Texas Rangers.
- Michael and Gardenhire shagged baseballs in the outfield during batting practice and he meet several players.
- The pair answered questions from the media in the Twins’ dugout before the game.
- Michael tossed the ceremonial first pitch and then delivered the Twins’ lineup card to the umpiring crew at home plate with first base coach Jerry White.
Adam Hubbs — A Heartfelt Day with Tim Tebow
Age: 16; Hometown: Millstadt, Ill.; Condition: life-threatening immunodeficiency disorder
- Wish: To meet Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow
- Tebow surprises Adam and his family by riding up on a surrey bike and picking up Adam for a spin around Disney’s BoardWalk at Walt Disney World ® Resort.
- The pair competed in several boardwalk and arcade games before Tebow presented Adam with an autographed Broncos jersey, game-worn cleats and a football from his first NFL win.
- After lunch, Tebow threw passes to Adam’s cousin and father before Adam decided to toss some passes to the Heisman Trophy winner.
Kendall Curnuck — Riding the Waves with Bethany Hamilton
Age: 8; Hometown: Rockville Center, N.Y.; Condition: acute lymphatic leukemia
- Wish: To go surfing with Bethany Hamilton
- Kendall met Bethany on Waikiki Beach in Oahu, Hawaii where they spent time getting to know each other.
- They rode together on a fire truck in Honolulu’s 4th of July parade. Kendall was also a special guest at the Soul Surfer movie screening.
- Two days later, on the island of Kauai, Kendall went surfing with Bethany where she stood up and rode to shore on her very first wave.
About Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. One of the world’s leading children’s charities, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes in the United States with the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers. Visit wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish® with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Team ESPN
Team ESPN, the corporate outreach program of ESPN, Team ESPN encompasses ESPN’s multi-faceted community relations initiatives, including volunteerism, corporate giving and cause marketing, while utilizing its diverse media assets. Through Team ESPN, ESPN employees and fans join together to make a difference in the communities in which we operate. Team ESPN’s slogan is “Fans Helping Fans.”® www.teamespn.com.
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Media Contacts: Kimberly Jarvis at (860) 766-2298 or Mac Nwulu at (860) 766-4196
Make-A-Wish Foundation: Brent Goodrich at (602) 792-3185
