This spring, EMJ’s Dallas office was honored to help grant the wish of seven-year-old Daisy Perez, a Dallas resident, through Make-a-Wish.
Employees divided into teams and competed to raise funds. The two-month competition was led by team captains Ray Catlin, Executive Vice President, Ben Milner, Senior Vice President of Preconstruction, and Kevin Gass, Vice President of Construction.
“Team Ben” got a head-start by hosting a building-wide bake sale in the office lobby. Members of the team made various baked goods and raised nearly $800 by the end of the work day.
“Team Kevin” hosted a breakfast taco sale with tacos donated by Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, which raised nearly $400. Meanwhile, members of each team reached out to clients, partners and colleagues to see if they would donate to help grant Daisy’s wish.
A few weeks later, members of the office were invited to participate in Good Morning Texas to surprise Anthony, another local child, with his wish.
“Seeing a child’s wish granted really brought our fundraising efforts to life,” said Madison Latimer, Operations Accountant, who attended the televised event. “We saw how much joy it would bring to a child who has gone through so much.”
By the April 1 deadline, EMJ had far exceeded its $10,000 goal, reaching nearly $17,000 in donations.
On April 14, Daisy and her family flew to Orlando for a fun-filled week during which she visited Disney World, Universal Studios and Legoland— and of course, fulfilled her dream of meeting Belle from Beauty & the Beast.
“@EMJCorp This once-in-a-lifetime trip would not have been possible without you,” tweeted Daisy’s aunt, Patricia. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
Daisy was featured on several outlets including E! News, Huffington Post and Good Housekeeping with photos from her emotional trip.
She was also interviewed on Fox 4 News about her overnight fame.
“My favorite part of going to Disney was getting to meet Belle,” Daisy said. “I also got to have ice cream for breakfast and eat lunch with all of my favorite characters!”
Finally, last Friday, Daisy and her family visited the Dallas office to share stories and pictures from their trip and show their gratitude. Daisy was greeted with signs, balloons and even a princess-themed photo booth.
Daisy and EVP Ray Catlin smile for the photo booth in EMJ’s Dallas office.
“It was so rewarding to have Daisy and her family in our office,” said Ray Catlin. “Working together for this cause has been a great experience for the team, and I believe EMJ’s partnership with Make-a-Wish is just beginning.”
It has evidently been a whirlwind two months for Daisy, and EMJ is appreciative to have been a part of it. A sincere thanks to our partners, colleagues and friends who donated to this worthy cause—we could not have done it without you.
To see more pictures from Daisy’s visit, visit our Flickr page, and to get your company involved with Make-a-Wish, visit wish.org.