The Ice Cream Social will take place on Sept. 24 from 5-8 p.m. Visit your local Cold Stone Creamery – you can enjoy a FREE 3-oz serving of a special Make-A-Wish® Ice Cream CreationTM. All you need do is make a gift to the Make-A-Wish Foundation while you’re in the store. See you on Sept. 24th for the Ice Cream Social. And thank you again for helping to make heartfelt wishes of brave children come true!

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America today announced John Cena as one of five recipients of its 20th annual Chris Greicius Celebrity Awards. The honorees were selected for their exceptional dedication to the Foundation’s mission by helping grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. (Photos for the Event)

One of the most popular celebrity wish requests among wish kids, Cena has granted 147 wishes since 2004. In addition to regularly granting wishes at WWE events such as Raw and WrestleMania, he has also helped fulfill modeling and film wishes through his projects outside the ring. Cena serves as a Wish Ambassador for the Foundation supporting its goal to expand wish-granting efforts to more eligible children.

The four other award recipients are Dave Matthews Band, Baltimore’s Charm City Cakes, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York’s Garden of Dreams Foundation.

“This year’s Chris Greicius Celebrity Award recipients have shown a remarkable commitment to our mission,” said David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and chief executive officer. “They create singular, unforgettable experiences for children because of the time, care and creativity they devote to each child’s wish. We are truly grateful for their dedication and for giving wish kids and their families so much lasting joy.”

Started in 1990, the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award is named in honor of the 7-year-old boy whose wish to be a police officer inspired a group of caring volunteers to fulfill his dream in 1980 and later create the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The Foundation’s Celebrity and National Sports Program team facilitates the wishes of children who ask to meet their favorite TV or movie star, musician, athlete, entertainment personality or other public figure. This past fiscal year, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted 856 celebrity- and national sports-related wishes, about 6 percent of the some 13,500 wishes it granted to children with life-threatening medical conditions nationwide.

We need your help today! We’re committed to granting each and every wish during our “Summer of 5,000 Wishes,” and time is running out.

Thousands of brave, deserving children are facing life-threatening medical conditions. These kids long for a ray of summer sunshine in their lives. By granting their most heartfelt wishes, you help 
strengthen their resolve to fight against their illnesses 
and triumph over adversity.

/donatenow.htm?pProductID=SPA09-21&sourceID=09RWEL0827WNZ”>Please respond today to help grant summer wishes.

You’ll help children like Rebecca 7, who had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and wished to swim with a dolphin. And Ryan 4, whose most heartfelt wish was to meet his favorite animated movie character brought him sheer joy, creating a lifetime of memories for his family.

Sadly, Ryan has lost his battle against rhabdomyosarcoma, a deadly cancer. I hope you will give generously – your gift will serve as a beautiful tribute to Ryan’s memory, and a special memorial his family will always treasure.

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. The Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 65 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 180,000 wishes in the United States since inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org. To give to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and help courageous children experience their most heartfelt wishes, please visit our Giving Section.