BILLINGS-The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants special wishes to children diagnosed with critical illnesses.
MSU-Billings athletes gave the children a special night during a basketball doubleheader at Alterowitz Gym on Saturday.
MSUB honored kids along with their families at halftime of the men’s game against Western Washington.
After a pizza party, five wish kids were given the spotlight and recognized at center court.
The 13 Yellow Jacket teams put together a gift basket and Western Washington players gave some Vikings memorabilia.
“It was really awesome,” said Abbie Lohof, an MSUB track & field athlete. “Western Washington showed up tonight and had practice jerseys, t-shirts, bags, and signed posters for the Make-A-Wish kids. It was so cool to have connections on and off the court. It just made my heart happy when they showed up with all that stuff.”
“Our wish kids all have critical illnesses and so they are all going through a really tough time or have been through a really difficult time,” said Lea Morford, development director for Make-A-Wish Montana. “So when people from the community get together to celebrate them and to make sure that they know there’s a whole community of people supporting them, I think it’s really special. They’re just making our wish kids feel so celebrated and loved tonight.”
The NCAA Division Two and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference have been helping Make-A-Wish families since 2003.
Reporting by David Jay for MTN News
