New Jersey Make-A-Wish To Helps Kids
On Sunday, March 25, 2001, stars from the daytime dramas One Life To Live, Guiding Light, As The World Turns, and All My Childrenappeared at "Wish Upon A Star" a soap opera luncheon and charity auction to Benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation Of New Jersey, which grants the requests of children under the age of 18 who have life-altering illnesses.
An Affair To Remember
Nearly 200 guests dined on a four-course meal at the posh Valley Regency in Clifton, nJ, with their favorite daytime stars, who traveled from their homes in New York and New Jersey for the day.
Hosted by OLTL's Christine Toy Johnson (Lisa), the event featured soap door prizes, a trivia contest, a question-and-answer session, and a meet-and-greet hour with the actors. The silent and live auctions -- featuring everything from autographed scripts and photos to set visits and Broadway show tickets -- helped raise over $16,000, all of which now is going toward making dreams come true for New Jersey's special wish children.
Daytime Cares
As soon as the festivities began, the warmth and enthusiasm of the celebrities was evident. The momentum had started back when the event just was in the planning stages by Soaps In Depth editor and Make-A-Wish volunteer Irene Vitale, who received the most enthusiastic response from OLTL's Johnson, Mark Derwin (Ben) and Darlene Vogel (Melanie) who were the first to sign on to help.
Even those daytime favorites who had a previous commitment on that day still were anxious to make a contribution. Among the invaluable donations: a Cat Cosmetic make-over by OLTL's beauty queen herself, Catherine Hickland (Lindsay), which included her full line of products and a seat in OLTL's hair and make-up room.
Although tickets to Live With Regis and Kelly, The View and The Late Show With David Letterman were on the aution block for some serious dollars, the fierce bidding war was over an OLTL tour offered by kassie DePaiva (Blair). When the two most serious bidders reached a stalemate at a whopping $575, Derwin stepped up to the plate and offered both bidders the coveted prize if they each upped the ante to $600 (which they both did, and DePaiva was more than happy to accommodate both parties on separate, personal tours!)
Making A Difference
After the auction, fans had a chance to meet the actors, take pictures and get autographs. On when the last fan was greeted did any of the stars leave the Valley Regency.
It truly was a wonderful day, a testament to the generous and caring spirit of the soaps!
If you would like to get more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey, please contact 800-252-9494 or E-Mail: Jersey@wish.org.
Below are photos of the event from a Soap Center Spotlight of the event, and from Mark Derwin fans who took part and shared their photos with me. What a wonderful day it must have been. As a Guiding Light and One Life To Live Fan it's definitely one I'd love to have attended. Thanks Irene for asking me to help in publicizing the event. I was honored and know that many more children's wishes will now come true.
Page Created May 1, 2001
By VtGrammy
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