It was unofficially the first Christmas-themed evening fundraiser of the fall social calendar. The Mid-South Make-A-Wish chapter rolled out its second Evening of Wishes ... Holiday of Hope, and the goal was to "grant" 20 Christmas wishes.
The palette inside the Masonic temple downtown was red, gold and green. Santa's elves flitted about a room centered by a dais and Christmas tree and, later, Ol' Saint Nick himself. Much of the set design splendor can be credited to Central Arkansas Entertainment and Joe Snell, and Monroe Cranford at Flowers and Home, development chief Carol Isom said.
"We started there at 2 o'clock, and it was just transformed," she said. "It's a great venue to make beautiful."
The exact exchange rate of wishes to U.S. dollars is not one tracked by the Treasury, but the night did raise more than $100,000, which is a healthy 25 percent to 30 percent increase over last year's haul. Some of that accumulated during the Fund-a-Flight direct appeal.
Did you know that about three in four wishes involve air travel? Can you guess where? (Hint: When you wish upon a star, um, that one's a bit too far by car.)
Celebrated philanthropist Sharon Heflin notched the Mary Ann Dawkins Wish Star, named for the longtime board member and benefactor.
-- Photos and story by Bobby Ampezzan
High Profile on 11/22/2015