FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2008
OLYMPIC SOFTBALL GAME SETTING FOR MAKE-A-WISH RECIPIENT
BEIJING, CHINA -- Playing in the Olympics is no doubt a dream come true for all 120 athletes participating in the softball competition taking place here. Tomorrow, however, walking into Fengtai Softball Field is sure to be most special for one young lady whose name won’t be seen on any team lineup.
Rachel Hanna, 16, of Grand Prairie, Texas (USA), will attend the USA vs. China game as part of her wish experience granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Rachel wished to attend the 2008 Olympics in Beijing so that she could watch the USA softball team compete in person. The International Softball Federation is providing passes to allow the necessary access for Rachel to have a meet-and-greet with the U.S. team.
“It’s the least we can do,” said ISF President Don Porter. “I was pleased to learn that our sport was at the center of Rachel’s wish through the Foundation, although this whole experience is about her, not the ISF. We know that softball has touched millions of people in countless ways for years and years, and this is sure to be an opportunity for our game to reach someone deeply.”
Mr. Porter and the ISF also hosted a Make-A-Wish recipient at the 2000 Olympic softball competition in Sydney, Australia.
Not coincidentally, Rachel is a talented softball player who pitched as a freshman on the varsity team at Mansfield Timberview High School, before she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2007. She was unable to play this past spring while being treated for her illness. She first heard about the Make-A-Wish Foundation watching the highly popular "My Wish" stories that have appeared on television annually since 2006.
Rachel is one of 11 youths with life-threatening medical conditions who are being granted their wishes to attend the Beijing Olympic Games by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Nine of the wish recipients are from the United States and one each from the Netherlands and Korea, ranging from ages 10 to 19. Based on their personal interests, the wish kids will attend a variety of events. The wish kids and their families are also scheduled to make trips to the Forbidden City, Imperial Palace, the Great Wall, and other destinations.
Tomorrow’s USA-China game begins at 12 Noon local time. Rachel will be accompanied by her parents and her younger sister.
About the ISF
The ISF is the world governing body of the sport as recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). Softball (women's fast pitch) made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. There are 131 affiliated countries in the ISF and millions of participants in the sport worldwide.
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. Founded 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. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America grants the wishes of children in the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico through its 67 chapters, while Make-A-Wish Foundation International serves children outside the United States in 30 countries on five continents. With the help of generous donors and 30,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 210,000 wishes worldwide since inception. For more information about how you can share the power of a wish®, visit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America Web site at www.wish.org or the Make-A-Wish Foundation International Web site at www.wishworld.org.
For more information, please contact ISF Director of Communications Bruce Wawrzyniak at brucew@internationalsoftball.com or 136 8157 0417 (China mobile) or Make-A-Wish Foundation of America Media Relations Manager Brent Goodrich at bgoodrich@wish.org or (+1 602) 279 9474, ext. 5210.
