WACO, Texas — Make a Wish Come True has made kids' Christmas wishes come true for 16 years, making sure students have something to unwrap this year. From bikes to clothes, food, and everything in between, Make A Wish Come True ensures children have a Merry Christmas.
- Make a Wish Come True started in 2008 with the late University soccer coach Mike Chapman wanting to ensure kids had something open on Christmas.
- Children write about what they would do if they had $100 to spend on Christmas, and they can ask for anything from gifts for their family to gifts for themselves.
- This is the 16th year Make a Wish Come True has been happening, giving to schools feeding into University High School.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
South Waco Elementary fifth grader Kingston Nsiegbe has big plans for Christmas this year.
“We get to travel to our grandma and then we’re going to visit our other grandma,” said Kingston.
Putting pen to paper a few weeks ago to lay out what he wants for Christmas.
“I wanted a bike so I don’t have to walk to school, and I wanted roller skates,” Kingston said.
The holidays came a little early for Kingston and many other elementary school students because of Make a Wish Come True.
“Each school that feeds into University gave us one kid in 2008, and they wrote a letter about what they would do if they had $100 for Christmas," Dylan Chapman, Head Baseball Coach for University High School, said. "It’s grown now to where every kid in all the schools that feed into the University writes a letter about what they’d do if they had $100 for Christmas, and the goal is to do 50 for each campus. This yea,r we can do a little more than that this year."
Going on 16 years strong, the giveaway was first organized by the late University soccer coach Mike Chapman, who is also Dylan’s uncle.
“Mike and First Sargent would always do joint community service projects for soccer and ROTC. They got together one day and talked about it," Chapman said. "They thought it would be cool to do a Christmas project to give a Christmas present to a child in need."
His legacy continues getting bigger, and every year he makes sure everyone has a: “Merry Christmas!,” Kingston said.
