Make-A-Wish Sends Ashburn Boy to Super Bowl

Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic has granted the wish of a 13-year-old Ashburn boy named Gavin by making arrangements for him to attend Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans.

Gavin is one of a dozen children from around the country with life-threatening medical conditions who wished to attend the Super Bowl, and the generosity of the NFL and other donors made those wishes come true.

Gavin and his family left for New Orleans Thursday for a weekend full of activities, including a private stadium tour, a visit to the NFL Experience Driven by GMC and local site-seeing before they watch the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens faceoff in Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday.

“Gavin is poised for an incredible weekend in New Orleans,” said Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic CEO, Laura Caldwell. “We know that wish experiences like these can have a tremendous impact on wish kids and their families.”

This year marks the 31st consecutive year that a wish kid will attend the Super Bowl. For the wish kids who will be in attendance, attending the Super Bowl represents their one, heartfelt wish; however, the positive impact of a wish-come-true begins long before kickoff. Wish kids often say the anticipation of their wish helps them find strength to continue medical treatments and the memories of the experience itself serve as a constant source of hope and joy.

Make-A-Wish, the NFL, and Super Bowl wishes have a long history. In 1982, the NFL helped Make-A-Wish grant its first Super Bowl wish to a 12-year-old Arizona boy at Super Bowl XVI in Pontiac, MI. Since then, every Super Bowl has been attended by at least one wish kid; more than 130 Super Bowl wishes have been fulfilled during the past 10 years alone.

Founded in 1983, the Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic Foundation has granted the wishes of more than 7,600 children in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia. For additional information, please visit www.midatlantic.wish.org.