Heather is a 12-year-old with a heart defect who wishes to have a tea party with the first lady, Laura Bush. Her wish may soon come true now that MSU kinesiology sophomore Gina Maceri is raising money and participating in a 300-mile bike ride.
Maceri, a personal fitness trainer at IM Sports-West, and fellow trainer Tom Mitchell are preparing themselves for Wish-A-Mile, an annual 300-mile bike ride in Michigan that supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan.
"I was wanting to do the Crohn's ride (early this year), since I have Crohn's Disease," Maceri said. "But Tom convinced me to do the Make-A-Wish Foundation (ride) instead. He said, 'Don't be selfish, do it for someone else.'"
Mitchell said he became interested in the three-day bike ride after reading an article in his local paper last year about a woman who was participating in the ride.
"I thought A) this is a great cause, and B) this will be a great challenge," said Mitchell, who has participated in 200-mile multiple sclerosis rides.
The ride is a four-day event that begins with registration at the Chelsea Fairgrounds in Chelsea, said Jeannette Tarcha, a spokeswoman for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. From there, riders
will be bussed to Traverse City, where the ride will begin on July 28.
"We ask (each rider) to raise a minimum of $650, but the average rider brings in about $1,000," Tarcha said. "It's not necessarily easy to raise that money, but people are more apt to help in any way that they can."
She said the ride began 19 years ago when a group of friends decided to bicycle for a cause.
"The group of guys wanted to do something for Make-A-Wish, and it just grew into something more," Tarcha said. "As more people got interested in this, Make-A-Wish took a more active role, and now it's the largest fundraiser for Make-A-Wish of Michigan."
Last year the ride raised a total of $775,000 for the foundation, and this year it is aiming to raise $800,000.
Doug Walter will be speaking at an overnight stop during the race to thank the foundation and its volunteers for what it has done for his family.
Walter's 18-year-old twin sons, Matthew and David, were diagnosed with muscular dystrohpy 2-1/2 years ago and were each given an opportunity to fulfill their wishes because of the foundation.
"My sister has a friend that heard about the foundation and told us to pursue this opportunity," Walter said. "We made contact with the Grand Rapids area Make-A-Wish Foundation, and they put us in the system and thought we qualified for a wish for each (of my sons)."
In February, Matthew received his wish to go visit the set of the television series "Charmed" and met the cast members.
"We didn't think it was possible, but through Make-A-Wish, they were able to make it all happen for us," Walter said.
Then in June, David, whose wish is to become an American history teacher, went to Washington, D.C., to see as much as he could.
"We saw things we'll never be able to see again," Walter said. "It's a fabulous organization that takes care of all your wishes and needs. They made things happen for us that I would've never been able to make happen for my sons — things that they will remember for the rest of their lives."
