The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, through the Paskenta Nomlaki Foundation, will host its third annual Wish Upon a Par Charity Golf Tournament on Friday, Sept. 18.
Committed to giving back to the local community, the Paskenta Nomlaki Foundation made the decision to move forward with this year’s event to grant life-changing wishes to six deserving children. This year, 120 golfers from over 30 businesses are expected to attend the golf tournament to support the annual charity held at The Links at Rolling Hills. The proceeds raised will benefit and raise awareness for the local Make-A-Wish chapter.
“There is power in making a wish come true for a child who is consistently fighting to stay healthy and happy,” said Andrew “Dru” Alejandre, tribal chairman of Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians. “There’s no greater feeling than helping our community by granting a wish for six resilient children. We are excited to reveal to them that we are making their wishes come true. We remain committed to contributing to Make-A-Wish’s efforts of improving the emotional and physical health of children by sponsoring them through our Wish Upon a Par Charity Golf Tournament.”
Over the last two years, Wish Upon a Par has had close to 250 golfers participate in the tournament, has raised close to $100,000 to support Make-A-Wish and granted wishes to 12 children with a critical-illness in the local community.
While this year’s event will look different, keeping safety in mind, the Paskenta Nomlaki Foundation expects to have another successful and fun-filled event to help raise funds for Make-A-Wish. The funds will be raised through community sponsors, donors and the 120 expected participating golfers to grant the wishes for six deserving children.
To protect the health and safety of guests and participants, Wish Upon a Par is implementing safety procedures including a six-feet physical distancing policy and hand-sanitation stations that will be readily available throughout the event. In addition, the Awards Banquet will be relocated outdoors where seating will be reconfigured to promote social distancing.
Check-in will be at 8 a.m., followed by a continental breakfast, clay shooting and putting contest. The Scramble Golf Tournament starts at 10 a.m. with the awards banquet to follow.
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this year Make-A-Wish has restricted all Make-A-Wish children and their families from attending public events. The Paskenta Nomlaki Foundation will honor their tradition of revealing a wish for one of the six Make-A-Wish children by recording the reveal onsite.
Following the event, Make-A-Wish will present the recorded reveal to the child.
This year six deserving medically eligible children, diagnosed with a critical illness, have been selected to make their wish come true. These incredible children all have a unique story and reason for their wish, which will be granted with the help of the money raised from this year’s Wish Upon a Par.
- Since 2018, 14-year-old Kaela has suffered from a rare heart condition, but now she looks forward to breathing in the tropical Hawaiian air, riding a horse on the beach, and experiencing the sun-filled wonder of the paradise.
- Sixteen-year-old Malachi, diagnosed with a critical illness since birth, wishes for the chance to pick the brain of his favorite on-screen hero to learn about his life and film experiences.
- Following the final round of treatments for his colon cancer, the only wish 12-year-old Jayden wants is to play and spend time with a new small furry and loyal companion, a Mini Cockapoo.
- Six-year-old Kaylee has suffered from a nervous system disorder since she was 16-months-old, and now it’s her time to spend time away from the hospital and in the water with a family trip to a houseboat on Lake Shasta.
- After a long journey with blood cancer, 13-year-old Gracie is ready to swim into the blue ocean waters of Hawaii and sit beachside soaking in the sun because swimming has always made her feel like a healthy child.
- Born with a heart condition, 4-year-old Adryen wants to launch into his new life by visiting the Kennedy Space Center, having lunch with an astronaut, seeing all of the rockets and space shuttles, and learning all about the innovative vessels.
As an economic driver in the region, the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians has established a long-standing commitment to help the community, they have contributed over $9 million locally through the Paskenta Nomlaki Foundation to benefit local health, safety and education programs.
Staying true to its values, in 2018, the Paskenta Nomlaki Foundation donated $100,000 to restore the iconic and beloved Rodgers Theatre on Solano Street in Corning. The contribution supported several restoration projects with the end goal to restore the Theatre to its former glory and to give the community a place they could once again enjoy.
