The Luxaire brand of Johnson Controls served as a co-presenting sponsor for the annual Milwaukee Walk For Wishes event hosted by Make-A-Wish Wisconsin.
Walk For Wishes is a nationwide Make-A-Wish fundraiser that celebrates more than 285,000 wishes that have already been granted, while raising funds for future wishes. The event, powered by wish families, volunteers, donors and friends, was held in Milwaukee’s Henry W. Maier Festival Park and included a 5K walk and run, one-mile walk, wheelchair race and kid’s activities.
Angela Bonovich, brand manager at Building Technologies & Solutions, Johnson Controls, led a team of participants from Johnson Controls and local Luxaire distributor Design Air LLC. “As a partner of Make-A-Wish, we enjoy finding ways to give back to our community,” Bonovich says. “Walk For Wishes allows us to do that, as we join our channel partners and work for this important cause.
“The fundraiser also provides a way to highlight and make our employees and customers aware of the Johnson Controls/Luxaire and Make-A-Wish partnership, while showcasing all the things Make-A-Wish is able to do for children, thanks, in part, to our support and that of our customers.”
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children diagnosed with critical illnesses in the U.S. and its territories, on average, every 34 minutes. For the child receiving a wish, the experience can be transformative, giving the child a renewed hope and strength to confront, and even overcome, their medical challenges.
2017 marks the seventh year Johnson Controls has participated in the Milwaukee Walk For Wishes event, first as a sponsor in 2011 and as a presenting sponsor since 2012. However, the company’s relationship with the wish-granting organization goes back to 2001. Since that time, the Luxaire brand has donated more than $3.7 million to 23 chapters in the organization; enough to help grant 509 wishes to children.
In addition to supporting a variety of fundraising activities, donations from Luxaire help to grant individual wishes in local communities nationwide. Examples of the wishes already granted with the help of Luxaire distributors include a trip to Paris, a vacation in Colorado, swimming with sharks in Hawaii, digging for dinosaurs in Montana, a bedroom makeover and the construction of a backyard castle.
“The Luxaire brand, along with its distributors and dealers, appreciates the opportunity to help make wishes like these come true,” says Bonovich. “I’m always amazed and proud of our ability as a company to make a positive difference in the lives of children and their families.”
For more information about Make-A-Wish or to find out how to support Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, visit here. Visit the website to learn more about the relationship between Luxaire and Make-A-Wish and how you can get involved.