Chi Omega has raised over $15,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the past two years.

This year, they are sending 16-year-old Christopher to the Super Bowl.

To help Christopher realize his dream, the sisters of Chi Omega hosted a Karaoke Night, a Rock ‘n’ Bowl bowling day, a kick-golf tournament and a letter writing campaign. 

In total, Chi Omea has granted four of the Philadelphia Susquehanna Valley affiliate’s children’s wishes. 

The sisters of the chapter will meet Christopher today with a banner and gifts at the Philadelphia airport to send him off on his trip to the Super Bowl game in Miami, Fla.  

The money they raised will cover all travel expenses including food, spending money, accommodations and VIP treatment for him and all immediate family members during the entire weekend. 

In the past, the chapter has sent two girls, Fiona and Ashley, to Disney World and another girl, Stephanie to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. 

Annually, the local Make-A-Wish foundation helps match the Iota Lambda chapter with local children who have life-threatening medical conditions whose wish they can work toward granting. 

Children that the chapter has worked with in the past have had illnesses such as leukemia, cancer and Huntington’s disease. 

Many people have the misconception that Make-A-Wish children are diagnosed with terminal illnesses, but this is false. The trips and wishes allow for the children to escape from hospitals and experience their greatest wish. 

“My favorite thing about [the sorority’s philanthropy] is that we raise the money ourselves and actually get to see where it goes,” said sophomore Chi Omega member Jacqueline Corbett. “We get to go to the airport and meet the person and his or her family, and we see how our hard work made a difference in someone’s life.”

Chi Omega makes a point to get to know its wish-children beyond a financial contribution. Involvement ranges from personal correspondence to accompanying the children to the airport.  

“To see the looks on their faces when they [walk] in to the airport…it’s great to see that and to know that we are making their wish a reality,” said Megan Hansler, junior and former philanthropy chair.

The average price for a wish granted by the chapter costs $7,100. 

“One of the misconceptions that people have is that if we don’t raise the money, that he is not going to be able to go, which is not true,” Hanser said. “We just give as much as we can.”

Children between the ages of 30 months and 18 years of age are eligible and can be referred to the foundation by parents, medical professionals or the child himself.  

According to the foundation, most wishes fall into one of four categories: “I wish to go…, I wish to be…, I wish to meet…and I wish to have.”

Hansler said that there is a focus now on the survival of the children. 

“The whole idea of the wish is to give them a chance to get away from the hospital and doctor’s visits and to have a little fun…it’s not a dying wish,” Hansler said. 

The Make-A-Wish Foundation has reached very close to home for some sisters. 

“There was a sister in our chapter [a Villanova grad] whose brother was a wish-child, so that was special,” she said.