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Rebekah Sudduth with Mid-South Make-A-Wish accepted a $5,000 check from Mike Reed with Piggly Wiggly to be used to help make a wish for North Mississippi children with life-threatening medical condition. Employees helped promote the cause offering customers an opportunity to reach the goal.
The Panolian photo by Rupert Howell
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Piggly Wiggly customers hand over $5,000 for wishes
By Rupert Howell
Batesville Piggly Wiggly customers and employees raised $5,000 that will go to Make-A-Wish come true for some North Mississippi recipient with a life-threatening medical condition in order to bring hope, strength and joy to their life.
“For one location to do that much is a huge deal,” said Rebekah Sudduth, who serves Mid-South Make-A-Wish as development coordinator.
Store owners Mike and Susie Reed said the drive began the week of Thanksgiving when customers were asked by employees if they would like to donate during checkout.
Many of the donors signed their names on stars placed on the store’s windows that quickly ran out of space. Other locations were found and customers kept donating until last week when the $5,000 goal was reached.
“Everybody was real excited to participate,” Susie Reed said Wednesday.
Her husband agreed adding, “Our employees jumped right in and promoted the project.”
A four-step process is involved with each wish experience, Sudduth explained, starting with a referral from a medical professional, family member or children themselves.
The child’s acting physician is relied upon to verify medical eligibility before a wish team is sent to find the child’s one true wish.
The wish granters then work hard to create the most magical wish experience that enriches not only the child but everyone involved.
Over 4,000 wishes have been granted by the local Make-A-Wish since its inception in 1986, about 200 per year. A fact sheet about Make-A-Wish indicates that 78 cents of every dollar is allocated to wish-granting.
Mid-South Make-A-Wish is headquartered in Memphis and serves Arkansas, West Tennessee and North Mississippi.
Typical wishes desired usually are in the category of resort trip, meeting a celebrity/athlete, to play the role of certain occupations such as Secret Service or zookeeper, or to have something such as puppy or playhouse.
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