ASCO grants wish to local child

Tuesday, 07 February 2012 by Tanner Clarke

Glenn West, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and South Texas, picks up Kiefer Johnson to show him his Mickey Mouse cake.A trip to Disneyworld is a dream for many children, but for one this was more than a dream, it was a wish.

Last Friday the local Associated Supply Company (ASCO) partnered with the Make-A-Wish foundation to make a little boy's wish come true.

His name is Kiefer Johnson, he is 3- years-old and he suffers from Acute Lymphatic Leukemia.

"This really helps them just be a kid again," said Glenn West, President and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and South Texas.

ASCO presented the Make-A-Wish Foundation with a check for $15,000 to help them make wishes come true with the help of donations from customers and employees at the Austin, San Antonio and Belton locations.

"We are most grateful for this generous gift from ASCO, its employees and its customers," West said.

Spencer Ridgway, Branch Manager of the Belton ASCO location, said being able to help a child like this was, "a great honor for me and for the company as well."

"It's part of our core values to help others and honor God."

With the help of this donation and others like it, the foundation is able to grant wishes of children all over.

"More than 80 percent of the money we receive goes into the wishes granted," West said.

Matthew Sullivan has been a wish granter for 12 years and loves to help these children and families fulfill their wishes.

"It means the world to me to put a smile on their face," Sullivan said. "And to take them to some magical place for a day."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation, with the help of donations, grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions to help enhance their life experiences with hope, strength and joy.

West said the foundation is different from others because, "we are able to see where these donations go."

Something that comes with being able to help children in these situations is something very special.

"I wouldn't trade it for anything," Sullivan said.

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