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Residents ‘Walk for Wishes’ in Davenport

Runners and walkers gathered in Davenport with the goal of helping grant wishes to children.

Runners and walkers gathered in Davenport with the goal of helping grant wishes to children.

On Saturday, October 13, 2013 the 4th Annual Walk-for-Wishes Benefit was held on behalf of Make-A-Wish Iowa. The event, held at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, helps to raise money so children with life-threatening conditions can get their “one true wish.”

Participants had the choice of a 5k, 10k, or one mile walk on race day. According to co-chair Deanna Woodall with the foundation, roughly 200 people participated in the event.

Woodall said volunteers with the Make-A-Wish Foundation are not looking to raise funds with any certain monetary goal in mind, just to make enough that they can help as many kids as possible. She said the work they put in is well worth it to see a happy child.

“To give them a moment where they can have a smile on their face and you can see and feel the excitement and the happiness that they’re experiencing at that moment, it just brings us so much joy,” said Woodall.

The volunteer also shared that her own daughter was a wish child.

"I’m happy to say she’s 16 now and doing well," Woodall said. The wish was not only a great experience for her child, but for the whole family. It allowed them a day to forget about being sick.

“The wish that they gave us changed our future,” she said. “That’s what we want to do for all of the children and their families, because it’s not just for the child, it’s for the family. And we just want to take everything away from them even if it’s just for a day.”

Her child is now in her teens, and Woodall said she is doing much better now.

Organizers say that one wish costs about $5,000 and all the money raised stays in the Iowa Quad Cities to help local kids.

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