Business
16-year old's Olympic wish becomes reality
16-year old's Olympic wish becomes reality
About this update from Emera Incorporated
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n\n\nNov. 19, 2009 (Canada NewsWire Group) -- PICKERING, ON, Nov. 19 /CNW/ -- 16-year old Graham Young was informed at the Torch Relay Celebration in Halifax on Wednesday that his most heartfelt wish to see the 2010 men's Olympic gold medal hockey game was going to become a reality thanks to the Children's Wish Foundation of Canada, Emera Inc., the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. Graham's wish has been a long time in the making and required the concerted efforts of committed individuals at several corporations from across the country.Graham, who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis in 1996, was told he was eligible for a wish from Children's Wish 6 years ago. Being a die-hard hockey fanatic, his choice was clear. As he put it, he wished \"to watch the best hockey players in the world play with the weight of their nation on their back to try and capture gold.\" His vision was to see sports history in the making on Canadian soil. But the journey would prove to be a long one.\"Tickets to the men's gold medal ice hockey game are extremely difficult to acquire,\" explained Cheryl Matthews, Children's Wish Nova Scotia Chapter Director. \"To achieve his wish, Graham displayed the same kind of vision and determination that Olympic athletes have. During the last 6 years, he could have chosen a different wish; he could have gone to Torino in 2006, but instead, he stuck by his vision of seeing the gold medal game in Canada.\" It is Graham's fervent hope that Team Canada will be on the ice for that game.To make this wish come true, Children's Wish enlisted the help of long-time corporate supporters Emera. They took on the challenge of locating tickets. After several phone calls, BCLC, an Official Supporter of the 2010 Winter Games came through with the tickets, while accommodations came courtesy of the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. Through the cooperation of several dedicated individuals, working in corporations in different provinces, a young hockey fan suffering from Cystic Fibrosis, will travel to Vancouver on February 26 for the trip of a lifetime.The Children's Wish Foundation of CanadaEach year, thousands of Canadian children between the ages of 3 and 17 are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Since 1984, The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada has worked tirelessly to grant excep...