Taylor Marini and Emily Rickerson of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida come on the show to introduce the region's first-ever Walk for Wishes, set for October 4 at Nathan Benderson Park and presented by Signature Medicare Solutions. Registration runs $20 for adults and $10 for kids, with wish families attending free, and covers a t-shirt and a full family fun day of food, live music and activities donated entirely by local partners. Participants can walk a short loop with strollers or complete the full 5K route around the park. With an average wish costing about $10,000 in the region, organizers frame the event's fundraising goal in direct terms: every $10,000 raised funds another child's wish.
Marini, who has worked at the organization since interning there in college, and Rickerson, who joined after not realizing a local Make-A-Wish office existed, both work out of a chapter covering the southern half of Florida, a territory unusually rich in professional sports teams that drives a steady stream of sports-related wishes, including a visit from soccer star Lionel Messi. The chapter grants roughly 600 wishes a year to local children and another 250 for kids traveling into the region from elsewhere, relying on a wish-assist system where local chapters handle logistics for kids visiting their territory.
A wish as part of treatment, not just a nice gesture
Marini shares the story of Parker, a 16-year-old who wished for a restored BMW but chose to delay the project until after three scheduled surgeries. His doctor told the organization he came out of anesthesia asking if he could get his wish yet, and later said he would refer every eligible patient to Make-A-Wish because the anticipation itself helped carry Parker through treatment. Rickerson describes a similarly emotional wish-reveal party for a Lakewood Ranch boy with a brain tumor, surprised with a trip to Universal's Epic Universe in front of fifty friends and family members.
Roundabouts get a rare unanimous no
Asked the show's standard roundabout question, both guests give an emphatic thumbs-down, with Marini calling for the city to simply stop building them and describing every approach as a guessing game about who has the right of way. The hosts note it is a rare moment of total agreement on the topic.
What you'll take away
- Make-A-Wish Southern Florida's first Walk for Wishes takes place October 4 at Nathan Benderson Park, with a $20,000 fundraising goal equal to roughly two granted wishes
- The chapter grants about 600 wishes a year locally and 250 more for children traveling into its territory, aided by a wish-assist system with chapters nationwide
- A 16-year-old's BMW restoration wish, delayed until after three surgeries, reportedly helped him get through treatment, according to his doctor
- The average wish in the region costs about $10,000, and volunteer wish granters, who must be 21 and work in trained pairs, interview each child to ensure the wish is truly theirs
- Both guests strongly dislike Sarasota's roundabouts, one of the rare unanimous verdicts the show has recorded on the topic
“It's necessary in their treatment, it's a part of their treatment.”
“Every $10,000 increment that we raise for this event is another wish kid that's going to have their wish granted.”
Places mentioned: Nathan Benderson Park, Siesta Key, Lakewood Ranch