Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at California State University, Fresno will host its third annual Make-A-Wish Foundation benefit dinner on Tuesday, April 26, to fulfill the wish of a 13-year¬old Oakhurst boy who suffers from cystic fibrosis.
The fraternity hopes to raise $5,000 to grant the boy’s wish: a shopping spree with his family to purchase a guitar and a laptop computer. The shopping spree will include a ride in a limousine and lunch for the family at the honoree’s favorite restaurant, Denny’s.
The benefit dinner will be held at the Smittcamp Alumni House at Fresno State. Tickets are $50 and available from Phi Gamma Delta fraternity members or by calling the chapter’s philanthrophy chairman, Lawrence Washington, at 908-4352.
In addition to granting a child’s wish, Phi Gamma Delta members will add personal touch by granting the teen the status of an honorary brother of the fraternity. Washington said the fraternity looks forward to the annual benefit dinner.
“It’s an opportunity for our members to come together to help a child in need,” he said. “These kids have been through a lot of tough challenges and we are happy to do something that can make such a difference.”
Alicia Hood, executive director for the Central Valley chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, said that the organization grants about 70 wishes per year. It operates with no government funding and relies on donations and fund-raising events hosted by charitable groups such as the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity to grant wishes, she said. The average cost of a wish is approximately $4,000. For more information about the Central Valley chapter of the Make-A-Wish foundation, go to http://www.valleywish.org
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