Edward's Story

Donation Recipient: Make a Wish Foundation

While I'm not one for being very dramatic or emotional I was certainly surprised and touched deeply by receiving the hundred dollar bill in the mail and subsequently reading the letter that heightened the emotional impact. So within the span of 10 minutes I went through confusion, excitement, pride, respect for your group and ultimately a tremendous sense of responsibility.

My first reaction, this is easy, I'll just travel down the street, grab a homeless guy and take him for a good meal then, give him whatever was left over. That way I would be assured that I have helped one single person, no organization would take their cut and ultimately at least for a couple of hours have made someone's life a little better. Well, that thought lasted for about ten minutes. By then it hit me that is a huge responsibility to be carefully thought through. While the dollar figure wasn't an entire life savings, the feeling of my responsibility to utilize this money that was entrusted to me by your group felt like the largest undertaking I've experienced in a long while.

That's when the many sleepless nights and day thoughts continued through me head for days and weeks.

Both my parents have died from cancer. First, my father in 1981, from pancreatic cancer. I was living in Texas at the time and my mother was burdened for six months watching the love of her life wither away. Then in 1989 my mother contracted lung cancer. While I was very upset some part of me blamed her for smoking her entire adult life and angry that she exposed her two sons to second hand smoke in closed cars, the house etc. So for a year my mother suffered through and deteriorated away. At this point I guess your thinking the American Cancer Society would be the beneficiary of the money. Well that went through my head as well. Ultimately, I decided that wasn't where it was supposed to go.

Since your letter introduced physical fitness of the body, mind and soul. What better place to give that the Special Olympics. I've witnessed athlete after athlete overcoming tremendous disabilities to perform and succeed in achieving goals that most of us take for granted. Yet they don't receive the money, training or facilities that all the rest of us benefit. When I watch the Special Olympics I cheer a little louder feel the lump in my throat get bigger and the tears flow a little easier. How appropriate, yet this still didn't feel like the right avenue.

When I worked at the California Speedway during race weekend I committed part of my time to helping kids we invited from the Make a Wish Foundation. Many drivers, race teams and race officials gave team gear to make the visit a little more special. As I write this I can feel the tears building and having trouble containing myself or completing this thought process. Here was a bunch of kids many wheel chair bound, some severely retarded, most with incurable diseases. They couldn't have been happier or more excited. When they left there wasn't a dry eye at the track. Kids that wouldn't live more than two or three more years, some even less. In my mind there is nothing more important than children.

How could this have taken this long to decide? My hundred dollar check has gone to Make a Wish. May some child smile for a lifetime because of it.

You'll notice the hundred dollars you originally sent. My check was written Make a Wish, now pay it forward. Passing this on to some deserving person may inspire them as it did me.

With great respect and admiration