WISH NIGHT GALA
APRIL 7, 2022, 5PM - THE PFISTER HOTEL
In 1994, Les Weil and Jodi Peck put forth extraordinary effort to create Make-A-Wish Wisconsin's first-ever gala. The event was founded in memory of their daughter Kelly Weil, who had recently passed away after a long battle with bone cancer. Now 29 years later, Wish Night has grown into an annual highlight of the fundraising calendar.
Make-A-Wish Wisconsin's mission is to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
Wish Night helps fund the wishes of more than 100 children and we need your help to make that happen!
The Wish Night gala features powerful storytelling and many opportunities to make an investment in a child's future, for their hope, strength and joy.
Hope starts with you. Donate now.
ITINERARY
5:00PM - Cocktail Hour
Cocktails and Passed hors d'oevres, Silent Auction, Wine Pull and Kesslers Diamond Pull
6:30PM - Dinner
Three-course meal served in the Pfister's Grand Ballroom
7:00PM - Program Begins
Featuring inspiring wish stories
7:30PM - W.I.S.H. Award Presentation
To Harris Turer and the Milwaukee Admirals
8:00PM - Adopt-A-Wish
Your chance to change the life of a child with the gift of a wish.
Hosted by Dan Pronley and Patrick Walsh, Sedgwick Claims Management Services
8:25PM
Kesslers Diamond Pull drawing and Silent Auction closes
8:30PM - Live Auction
Hosted by Dan Pronley and Patrick Walsh, Sedgwick Claims Management Services
9:00PM - Thank you & good night
SILENT AUCTION
All of this year's Silent Auction bidding will be conducted through the GiveSmart service, accessed with your own smartphone or through text messaging. A listing of all Silent Auction items will be available here at a later date. Any questions? Please see our FAQ Section.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Wine Pull
Purchase a numbered wine cork for $25 and win a bottle of red wine, white wine or sparkling wine valued between $20 and $365!
Diamond Pull
Purchase a light-up ring for $35, or 2 for $70, or 3 for $100, for a chance to win a $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 Splurge Card from sponsor Kesslers Diamonds! Winners will be drawn at the end of night's program. FIRST name drawn receives: $1,000 Kesslers Splurge Card; SECOND name drawn receives: $2,000 Kesslers Splurge Card; THIRD name drawn receives: $3,000 Kesslers Splurge Card.
Adopt-A-Wish
Support the Make-A-Wish Wisconsin mission today by giving directly to support the wish of a child with a critical illness!
EVENT CHAIRS
Mike and Bridget Zimmerman, Co-Chairs
Mike and Bridget Zimmerman have been involved with Make-A-Wish for over 20 years, dating back to Bridget's first job out of college as the Volunteer Coordinator for Make-A-Wish Wisconsin. For Bridget this was her dream job. And since then, Make-A-Wish has become the Zimmerman family's favorite philanthropic effort.
Mike and Bridget live in Franklin with their 4 children, Paige (19), Andrew (18), Jack (16) and Olivia (12) and their Teddy Bear dog, Finn, who they met and had to have at Wish Night 2016!
Mike and Bridget own ROC Ventures. ROC Ventures manages a collection of brands in the sports, entertainment, and real estate sectors. These include the Milwaukee Wave, the Milwaukee Milkmen, The Rock Sports Complex, a collegiate baseball franchise located in Indiana, the Ballpark Commons development in Franklin, and more. ROC stands for "Return on Community," a goal which informs each and every endeavor undertaken by the organization.
W.I.S.H. Award Recipient
Harris Turer and the Milwaukee Admirals
Harris Turer, who lives with his wife Pam in Milwaukee, is currently in his 17th season as the principal owner of the Milwaukee Admirals Hockey Club. Turer helped lead a group of Milwaukee area businessmen in the purchase of the team in April of 2005 from the estate of the late Jane Bradley Pettit.
Since Turer's purchase of the Admirals, the organization has become particularly visible in the community through activities and donations. The team started its own charitable arm called the Power Play Foundation with the goal of providing money to non-profit organizations in southeastern Wisconsin, particularly those focused on youth-oriented organizations and activities. Since 2006, the Power Play Foundation and the team have donated over $3 million that has come from various activities, promotions and donations.
Turer has been a Make-A-Wish champion for 20 years and the Admirals have been supporting Make-A-Wish Wisconsin for 28 years. Turer joined the Make-A-Wish Wisconsin Board of Directors in 2008 and served for 6 years. In 2016, when Make-A-Wish Wisconsin moved into its new Chapter office in Wauwatosa, Turer and the Admirals stepped up, making a significant donation to name the first room you see when you enter the offices, Roscoe's Wish Room, a space dedicated to wish families. As well, Turer made a generous gift to the Gap Campaign we are currently undertaking.
Turer and the Admirals are also consistent sponsors and donors of the Make-A-Wish Golf Outing, Wish Night and other Make-A-Wish events. They also host a Make-A-Wish night at an Admirals game every year in February where they give Make-A-Wish Wisconsin wish families and supporters free tickets to the game and feature Make-A-Wish throughout the game. They have also hosted wish presentations at Admirals games and provided tickets to wish families for other games over the years.
Turer and the Admirals' commitment to community, youth and specifically, Make-A-Wish Wisconsin make them more than deserving of this year's WISH Award. It is our honor to present them with this special recognition.
Parking
- Complimentary valet, courtesy of Subaru, is available at the Pfister entrance on Jefferson Street.
- The Pfister also offers paid parking within their attached structure on a first-come, first-served basis.
- There are multiple parking lots within walking distance of the Pfister Hotel. For a complete listing of Milwaukee parking options and rates, visit parkmilwaukee.com.
- If you are coming to the event directly from work, carpooling with your tablemates can be a smart and cost-effective option.
- As well, consider riding The Hop streetcar which runs just one block away.
- TIP: Download the Park MKE app!
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
We would like to thank the following businesses who are helping to make Wish Night possible. Thanks to these generous companies, ALL of our event expenses have been completely covered. That means that EVERY DOLLAR we raise will go DIRECTLY to granting children's wishes!
ADDITIONAL EVENT INFORMATION
We want to make sure that everyone has an enjoyable and safe evening. We are organizing the event space to accommodate extra elbow room, all waitstaff and bar staff will be wearing face coverings, and there will be multiple hand sanitizer stations positioned throughout the event.
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