Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) of Greater Los Angeles and the Grove Team Up to Kick-Off A Season of Wishes(TM) 'Weekly Wish Nights at the Grove' with the Public Granting of a Child's Wish

Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) of Greater Los Angeles and the Grove Team Up to Kick-Off A Season of Wishes(TM) 'Weekly Wish Nights at the Grove' with the Public Granting of a Child's Wish

The Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Extravaganza and Concert Featured Music Legends, Celebrity Appearances and the Granting of a Child's Wish to Give All

of the Children at Mattel Children's Hospital a Special Toy for the Holidays

LOS ANGELES -- The Make-A-Wish Foundation(R) of Greater Los Angeles kicked-off their annual A Season of Wishes(TM) partnership with The Grove tonight during The Grove's Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. The event, featuring musical performances and celebrity appearances, concluded with the heartwarming granting of 12-year-old wish child Madison Smith's wish to provide toys for all of the children at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA this Christmas.

Madison's wish to bring Christmas joy to the children at the hospital comes after her own prolonged hospital stays, due to a rare condition that causes tumors to grow throughout her body. She requested the altruistic wish to bring a moment of joy to children with similar circumstances.

"The annual tree lighting ceremony at The Grove has quickly become a holiday tradition for Los Angeles residents and is the perfect outlet to Share the Power of a Wish(R) in front of the 200,000 magnificent lights on the largest holiday tree in Los Angeles," said Kelli Seely, president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. "Now in our third year, The Grove's ongoing support and generosity has helped make it possible for us to grant more wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions in Los Angeles."

Prior to the lighting of The Grove's 110-foot tree, Madison's wish was granted on the main stage as Santa's elves delivered bags full of toys destined for the children at Mattel Children's Hospital. The Grove's Tree Lighting event also featured performances by honorary wish granters, Disney's The Cheetah Girls, who will be granting three children's wishes at The Grove on Tuesday, Dec. 4, as part of "Weekly Wish Nights at The Grove." The extravaganza also included performances by the Goo Goo Dolls, Mannheim Steamroller, reggae star Sean Kingston and acclaimed actress, opera singer and pop artist Emmy Rossum.

"The excitement and energy surrounding tonight's holiday spectacular sets the tone for another magical year of Weekly Wish Nights at The Grove," said Rick Caruso, CEO of Caruso Affiliated. "Through our partnership with Make-A- Wish Foundation, we are able to infuse the heart with hope, strength and joy, and create lasting memories for families and friends this holiday season at The Grove."

Now in its third year, A Season of Wishes provides all Southern California residents with numerous opportunities to witness the powerful impact that fulfilling a wish has on the lives of children battling life-threatening medical conditions through a series of public wish fulfillment celebrations that include "Weekly Wish Nights at The Grove," where every Tuesday night during the holiday season at The Grove in Los Angeles, a wish child has their most heartfelt wish publicly granted.

About The Grove

Since opening in March 2002, The Grove has attracted millions of shoppers, diners and entertainment seekers, offering a first-class range of restaurants and retail stores, such as Nordstrom, Crate & Barrel and Apple Computers, and exclusive only-in-L.A. stores such as Pottery Barn Kids, Michael Kors and Barneys New York CO-OPs. Spanning 575,000 square feet and situated adjacent to the historic Farmers Market, The Grove also features an expansive outdoor grass area with a spectacular dancing water fountain and a real working trolley that transports shoppers along the center's tree-lined main street. To learn more about The Grove, call 1-323-900-8080 or visit www.thegrovela.com or www.carusoaffiliated.com.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life- threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Born in 1980, when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 67 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and more than 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 41 minutes and has granted more than 153,000 wishes in the U.S. since inception.

For more information about your local Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter or to lend your support to A Season of Wishes, visit www.aseasonofwishes.org or call 1-888-217-WISH.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Shelley Ginsburg
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles
(310) 788-9474
sginsburg@wishla.org

Will Ostedt/Lisa Townsend
The Pollack PR Marketing Group
(310) 556-4443
wostedt@ppmgcorp.comltownsend@ppmgcorp.com

PRNewswire-USNewswire -- Nov. 19

Source: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles

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