Her dream is a wish her heart made

‘When you can put a smile on a kid’s face, it’s special,’ said Thomas Cavalier, Butler Wick president and chief executive officer.

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Yes, Alyssa, dreams do come true, complete with castles and princesses and a Magic Kingdom.

Alyssa, 6, of Youngstown, who has a brain tumor, was granted her “one wish” to see all of those things, and more, with a Make-A-Wish Foundation trip to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., with her parents and siblings.

Alyssa, described as a happy little girl who likes to swim and swing, was given the magical opportunity when a friend of her father’s at work, Ed Colon, nominated the family for the Make-A-Wish adventure.

Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Alyssa and her parents, John Hull II and Jennifer Hull, and her brothers, John, 9, and Eddie, 7, will get an expense-paid week at the Make-A-Wish Village at Disney World, said Julie Scarsella, regional manager of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana’s Tri-County Office.

Alyssa’s grandparents are Marilyn and Ronald Cremeans of Austintown and John (Mike) and Julie Hull Sr. of Youngstown.

The Hulls were given T-shirts with “Make-A-Wish” on the front and “Make-A-Wish Made My Trip Come True” on the back that assures them “V.I.P.” treatment in the park, and Make-A-Wish pins that will get them to the front of the line for events and rides at the park, Scarsella said.

Mrs. Hull, who is in her last year at Youngstown State University studying to be a special education teacher, said Alyssa has a rare chromosome abnormality, as yet unnamed, that doctor’s think is the cause of her brain tumor and autism. Alyssa is a pupil at the Rich Center for Autism at YSU.

The Disney trip is sponsored by Butler Wick & Co. through the Home Savings Charitable Foundation. This is the second consecutive year Butler Wick has sponsored a Make-A-Wish wish.

“We’ve sponsored a lot of community causes, but when you can put a smile on a kid’s face, it’s special,” said Thomas Cavalier, Butler Wick president and chief executive officer. He also serves on the Make-A-Wish Tri-County Board of Directors.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, fulfilled the individual wishes of 759 children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions in the last fiscal year of Sept. 1, 2006, through Aug. 31, 2007. Currently there are 106 pending wishes in Northeast Ohio, said Colleen Fischer, manager of public relations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Any child over the age of 21⁄2 and under 18, diagnosed by the child’s primary doctor with a life-threatening medical condition, and who has not received a wish from another wish-granting organization, is eligible for Make-A-Wish.

The average “wish” costs $6,000. “However, any gift, large or small, will impact a family and create hope, strength and joy during a time when a family in our community needs it most. We thank Butler Wick for its contribution,” Fischer said.

Local companies who want more information on how they can get involved in the Make-A-Wish program can call Scarsella at (330) 965-9085.

alcorn@vindy.com