On Saturday, April 23rd, Make-A-Wish North Texas will hold its 10th annual fundraising gala for the Lubbock region. According to its organizers, Waltzing for Wishes has become a well-known event that draws hundreds of people and raises thousands of dollars for the non-profit that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
“It’s gratifying,” Wayne Ware said. “It’s good to know (that) what we’re doing and the amount of money that we’re raising, how many kids we’re helping.”
Ware, who is credited with helping to create the event, explained how it came about.
“About 11 years ago, I was sitting in the board room and we needed another fundraiser. We weren’t raising any money and everything and I just kind of, I’m a Dancing with the Stars fan, and I just kind of threw that out and they kind of looked at me like (I) was stupid but we ran with it and the first year wasn’t so good and Robert (Wood) got on board with me. From there it’s just gone from raising a couple thousand to $300,000,” he said.
Robert Wood also helped to make the event what it is today. The custom home builder said he got involved in 2007 after he, along with several other builders, donated a house to Make-A-Wish. Wood said the home was raffled off and raised more than $100,000 for the non-profit.
“It’s turned into being a really cool event for Lubbock,” Wood said. “In (20)07, it was about $10,000… and here we are nine, ten years later, like Wayne said, $350,000, $300,000 (raised).”
Watch the associated video to learn more about the history of Waltzing for Wishes. On average, it costs $9,000 to grant one child his or her wish. For more information on the event and/or Make-A-Wish, contact the Lubbock office at (806) 785-9474.
