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Speaker 1: Hi at Cesiffox and this is the iHeart so Cal

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Speaker 1: show or show that puts a spotlight on charterable organizations,

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Speaker 1: nonprofits and people giving back. And it's your chance to

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Speaker 1: get back to kids who need us. The Make a

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Speaker 1: Wish Foundation Make a Wish Orange County and the Inland

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Speaker 1: Empire is hoping you're going to join them for the

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Speaker 1: return of their Trailblaze Challenge. It takes place pretty soon

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Speaker 1: here March sixth through the eighth. The Trailblaze Challenge is

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Speaker 1: an eighteen mile, one day guided hike through beautiful Joshua Tree,

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Speaker 1: all to raise money to help grant wishes for local

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Speaker 1: critically ill children. This is one of the biggest fundraisers

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Speaker 1: and it sounds like such a special, meaningful weekend. Not

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Speaker 1: too late to get involved all thefo wish dot org

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Speaker 1: slash ocie is their website wish dot org slash ocie

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Speaker 1: and on to tell us all about it is their

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Speaker 1: CEO and president, Anne Gray. Hi.

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Speaker 2: Anne, Hi, thanks so much for having me.

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Speaker 1: I'm thinking that you should be out of breath right now.

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Speaker 1: You're getting ready for this thing, are you out there?

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Speaker 1: You know gearing up eighteen miles is no joke. I mean,

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Speaker 1: this is going to This is a big feat to

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Speaker 1: take on.

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Speaker 2: It's really exciting for our team and all of the

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Speaker 2: hikers who are participating. So far, we do have six

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Speaker 2: and twelve mile distances in addition to eighteen for I

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Speaker 2: know it's getting close for people who may still want

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Speaker 2: to join us who don't have time to train quite

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Speaker 2: at that level, but we are making sure that everybody

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Speaker 2: is safe and able to enjoy an amazing time.

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Speaker 1: Now I know we're going to I want to talk

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Speaker 1: obviously about the kids and where the money goes and

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Speaker 1: who you help. These sweet kids are going through so much.

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Speaker 1: But one of the is a big Trailblaze eighteen mile

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Speaker 1: challenge kind of come together. I know it's the first

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Speaker 1: year it's back in person for the first time since

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Speaker 1: the pandemic. But when did this all start? What a

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Speaker 1: unique way to raise money for these kids.

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Speaker 2: Yes, it's something that Make a Wish does throughout the country.

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Speaker 2: The original Trailblaze started I think somewhere in North Carolina,

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Speaker 2: and it really has been such a signature event for

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Speaker 2: Make a Wish that people come back to year after

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Speaker 2: year after year. We have some chapters who have people

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Speaker 2: celebrate their tense trailblaze, and we have people joining our

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Speaker 2: event from other states because they just think it's such

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Speaker 2: an amazing experience and they want to experience it as

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Speaker 2: many times as they can. And not only you know,

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Speaker 2: the feeling of a great accomplishment and being out in nature,

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Speaker 2: but just knowing that the funds that they raise through

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Speaker 2: their efforts really make a life changing difference in the

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Speaker 2: lives of kids battling these critically critical illnesses and really

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Speaker 2: gives those kids strengths and something to look forward to

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Speaker 2: in the midst of a lot of you know, things

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Speaker 2: that they're going through that kids shouldn't have to go through.

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Speaker 1: Sure, I'm assuming like some of the people that to

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Speaker 1: take part in this every year, or whether it's your

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Speaker 1: first year or a couple of years, or just taking

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Speaker 1: part in this makes you feel like, Gosh, all I

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Speaker 1: have to do is get through this eighteen mile journey

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Speaker 1: through Joshua Tree. These kids are fighting every day year

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Speaker 1: round until gosh, hopefully they can pull through it. But

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Speaker 1: the battle for these critically ill children is.

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Speaker 2: Real, exactly, and it's it's really such a wonderful experience.

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Speaker 2: Throughout the weekend, we share wish stories and one thing

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Speaker 2: people don't necessarily tend to realize is about seventy percent

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Speaker 2: of our wish kids do get better and they go

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Speaker 2: on to adulthood and they think about their wish and

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Speaker 2: the memories that it created for them and their family,

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Speaker 2: and how it helped them get through a difficult time

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Speaker 2: and even sometimes shapes their future what they become as adults.

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Speaker 2: And so these stories are so so heartwarming and just

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Speaker 2: really the lasting impact of a wish is what we

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Speaker 2: want people to know. Of course, we do have children

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Speaker 2: who are terminal and that last wish is something that

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Speaker 2: they and their families have is beautiful memories and beautiful experiences,

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Speaker 2: but the majority of our kids go on to live

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Speaker 2: a long time, and the lasting impact of a wish

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Speaker 2: not only for them their family, the community is really

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Speaker 2: just a beautiful thing to see and hear about. So

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Speaker 2: we are doing a lot of great things for the

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Speaker 2: wish kids and their families, the medical providers who are

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Speaker 2: cheering them on in their journey and working to help

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Speaker 2: them so much, and it's just a really wonderful thing

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Speaker 2: to be a part of.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, talk about some of the kids, if you don't mind,

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Speaker 1: maybe give some examples of the stories so folks and understand,

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Speaker 1: like you said, not just termally ill children, but children

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Speaker 1: going through all kinds of different situations, including so many

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Speaker 1: stories of kids who made it through quote unquote their

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Speaker 1: situation after getting their wish.

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Speaker 2: Thank you to everyone who supports medical advances and medical

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Speaker 2: research to make sure that these kids have a chance

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Speaker 2: to fight through their illnesses. Medicine and treatment that comes

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Speaker 2: such a long way since Make a Wish was founded

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Speaker 2: forty five years ago, that it's just a wonderful thing

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Speaker 2: to see so many children coming through with strengths and

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Speaker 2: wish provides and then thriving in their lives. So it

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Speaker 2: is a really wonderful thing. And kids can wish to

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Speaker 2: be something, they can wish to go somewhere, they can

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Speaker 2: wish to have, something they can wish to meet someone.

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Speaker 2: We've had some incredible wishes over the past year and

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Speaker 2: some really neat ones coming up. We have a wish

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Speaker 2: kid going to Fashion Week in New York this week.

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Speaker 2: We have one going to Lady Gaga to see her.

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Speaker 2: We have wish kid who met Tom Cruise at the

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Speaker 2: Mission Impossible premiere. Wow.

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Speaker 1: So it's not just Disneyland. I mean, we love you Disneyland.

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Speaker 1: It's not just Disneyland. There's all kinds of different things.

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Speaker 2: Disneyland is by far our most popular wish and it's

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Speaker 2: so special for the kids, and they truly go all

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Speaker 2: out to make it an amazing experience for the families.

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Speaker 2: I can't say enough about the great work that Disneyland

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Speaker 2: Resort here in California does for us and the Disney

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Speaker 2: Company overall and making wishes super magical for the kids.

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Speaker 2: They are our strongest partner, and the kids half the

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Speaker 2: time probably have a Disney related wish, if not more so,

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Speaker 2: because it's such a magical thing for them. And you know,

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Speaker 2: everything in Disney is hope and a happy ending, and

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Speaker 2: that's what these kids need.

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Speaker 1: To Are you finding most of the kids who would

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Speaker 1: like a wish granted? Are you find them through hospitals

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Speaker 1: and doctors? Or because I saw on your website wish

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Speaker 1: dot org slash ocie that people can also refer a

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Speaker 1: child to get a wish from Make a Wish.

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Speaker 2: Yes, people can refer a child that the information is

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Speaker 2: on the website. We get most of our referrals who

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Speaker 2: qualify for a wish through medical professionals, because it does

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Speaker 2: have to be a critical illness, meaning certain criteria for

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Speaker 2: a child to be eligible for a wish, and so

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Speaker 2: mostly through hospital social workers and medical providers, but family

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Speaker 2: members and friends can look into nominating their or you know,

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Speaker 2: recommending that the child be considered for a wish, and

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Speaker 2: then our team goes about doing the due diligence and

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Speaker 2: verifying you know, the diagnosis and if it's safe for

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Speaker 2: the child to be granted a wish. You know, sometimes

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Speaker 2: if they're immune compromised very severely, there's a limited number

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Speaker 2: of wishes that they can grant, but are once we

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Speaker 2: get them through the qualification process. Our volunteer wish grants

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Speaker 2: meet with the kids and learn their true wish. We

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Speaker 2: try to leave the parents out of the conversation and

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Speaker 2: really have the child share their true wish. And it's

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Speaker 2: really wonderful the things that they come up with.

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Speaker 1: It's really sweet, and it sounds like the volunteers are

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Speaker 1: very hands on and get very involved in these stories

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Speaker 1: with these children.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, we have wish grants that meet the children, learn

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Speaker 2: what they hope for and dream for, and really hone

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Speaker 2: in on what their maybe top three wishes would be.

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Speaker 2: We would love to be able to grant every magical wish,

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Speaker 2: but sometimes it's a celebrity that's not available or a

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Speaker 2: trip that's not safe for them to travel to. We

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Speaker 2: like to have a couple of options that they're really

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Speaker 2: excited about, and then the wish grants. Then once we

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Speaker 2: get everything finalized for the wish, they get to go

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Speaker 2: present the wish and say, your wish is granted. Here's

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Speaker 2: where you're going, here's what you're doing, here's who you're meeting.

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Speaker 2: Here's your playhouse, here your backyard redo, here's your room redo.

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Speaker 2: Because some of our kids, you know, their their homebound

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Speaker 2: and they don't you know, they wish for, you know,

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Speaker 2: a really fun place to just be at home. And

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Speaker 2: so sometimes that's a backyard play set, or sometimes it's

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Speaker 2: a room redo, well like a.

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Speaker 1: Barbie Corvette bed or something cool.

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Speaker 2: Right room. Yeah, we have a wish child right now

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Speaker 2: who her wish is to have a library with a

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Speaker 2: ladder going up to the top shelves, sort of like

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Speaker 2: Harry Potter. And so that's one a fun one that

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Speaker 2: we're working on. And so they their creativity is boundless

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Speaker 2: and I just I love it.

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Speaker 1: And what's the requirement for people who might want to

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Speaker 1: volunteer with the Make a Wish Foundation. What's the requirement.

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Speaker 1: Do you need a certain amount of hours each week

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Speaker 1: or how does it work? Volunteer wise?

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Speaker 2: Volunteers can look on our website and do just a

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Speaker 2: quick interest form and then our team will reach out

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Speaker 2: to them and share with them everything it entails. It

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Speaker 2: does involve some training in a back background check and

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Speaker 2: different things like that to make sure that you know,

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Speaker 2: everybody's comfortable with where we're moving forward, and you know,

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Speaker 2: they go sometimes they go to people's homes and meet

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Speaker 2: with the family. So we do very thorough screenings on

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Speaker 2: our volunteers to ensure that they're comfortable and that we

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Speaker 2: can make sure that they just have the best experienced

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Speaker 2: granting wishes. And then we communicate with them weekly and

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Speaker 2: let them know what wish interviews are coming up and

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Speaker 2: they can sign up for something in their area and

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Speaker 2: meet the family and the child. And so we've had

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Speaker 2: wish granted volunteers with us. I think I think our

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Speaker 2: longest one in our chapter is almost thirty years. Volunteering

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Speaker 2: is a wish grant I love that several or over

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Speaker 2: twenty years. So and one of our wish grantors who

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Speaker 2: is a twenty plus year volunteer. He is actually doing

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Speaker 2: the Trailblaze Challenge with us, right and very excited for

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Speaker 2: him to be out there with us. And so it's

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Speaker 2: just a great group and it's a great feeling to

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Speaker 2: be able to help the realize these dreams while they're

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Speaker 2: going through so much.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely okay, so it's not too late to join the

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Speaker 1: Trailblaze Challenge. Returning to an in person setting in beautiful

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Speaker 1: Joshua Tree March sixth, seventh, and eighth, Now break it down,

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Speaker 1: like how soon do people get out there? You have

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Speaker 1: camping and glamping all set up pervide. It's a whole weekend.

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Speaker 1: It's a whole three day thing.

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Speaker 2: It's a whole weekend experience. Our folks are coming in

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Speaker 2: Friday night and they are going to be having a

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Speaker 2: pasta party and going to bed very early because at

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Speaker 2: the crack of dawn, before it gets light, we are

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Speaker 2: taking them out to the trailhead where our trail leads

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Speaker 2: will leave them on the hike. We'll have rest stops

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Speaker 2: and then celebratory finish line after party at Auto Camp.

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Speaker 2: People are staying at Auto Camp and Joshua Tree for

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Speaker 2: two nights as part of this and then stargazing and s'mores,

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Speaker 2: and then Sunday morning we have a really wonderful special

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Speaker 2: brunch where we share a lot of wish stories and

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Speaker 2: people just can really celebrate everything that we've accomplished to

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Speaker 2: help these kids. So really full weekend of you know, nature,

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Speaker 2: doing good, feeling good, and just a super special experience.

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Speaker 2: We're really excited about it.

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Speaker 1: And like you said, so many inspiring stories. And then

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Speaker 1: to do the work to get out there and spend

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Speaker 1: your weekend in Joshua Tree and to do the work

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Speaker 1: the eighteen mile Trailblaze challenge. All you need to do,

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Speaker 1: you do need to raise some money, So talk about

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Speaker 1: that commitment part of it, because look, it's not too late.

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Speaker 1: People post on your Facebook, post on your Instagram, send

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Speaker 1: an email, blast everybody on your contact list and all

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Speaker 1: your friends. You've got to raise a couple thousand dollars

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Speaker 1: there to do this though.

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Speaker 2: Right yes, And people can go on trailblazeocie dot org

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Speaker 2: to put in their interest and register. It's one hundred

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Speaker 2: dollars to register and then it's twenty five hundred minimum

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Speaker 2: fundraising commitment for the weekend. So people really need to register,

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Speaker 2: right away. Our cutoff is very soon, so we want

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Speaker 2: to have anybody who wants to join us last minute.

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Speaker 2: It might just be that you love Make a Wish

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Speaker 2: and you love the mission and you want to test

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Speaker 2: yourself and you just make a self donation and join us.

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Speaker 2: That would be great, too, perfect.

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Speaker 1: And what's that website again? To go directly for information

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Speaker 1: for the Trailblaze Challenge first weekend of March and Joshua.

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Speaker 2: Tree Trailblaze ocie dot org. Or they can just visit

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Speaker 2: our regular Make a Wish website and find it under

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Speaker 2: our event.

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Speaker 1: And before we wrap up, how long have you worked

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Speaker 1: with Make a Wish the Make a Wish Foundation?

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Speaker 2: Just a year and a half.

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Speaker 1: Oh, okay, then before that, were you focus on helping

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Speaker 1: kids as well?

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Speaker 2: Throughout my career, I've been focused on helping children and

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Speaker 2: older adults and just really you know, giving people tools

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Speaker 2: that they need to live healthy, vibrant lives. So that's

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Speaker 2: kind of been my through line my whole career. But

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Speaker 2: Make a Wish is extra special to me because when

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Speaker 2: I was very early in my career, my very first job,

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Speaker 2: I met a little boy who had muscular distro fee

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Speaker 2: and he and his parents invited me over one afternoon

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Speaker 2: and he said, ann, come into my office and he

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Speaker 2: had a desk and an Apple computer and a little

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Speaker 2: you know placard that said CEO of Wish Kids and

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Speaker 2: it was his wish to be a businessman. Ah my gosh,

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Speaker 2: So we got him all set up.

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Speaker 1: Oh I love that, see and I like what you

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Speaker 1: say too. And it's so inspiring to help these kids

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Speaker 1: and to see how wish can can help a kid,

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Speaker 1: you know, carry them through, but how just get in

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Speaker 1: their wish granted can can have a serious impact on

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Speaker 1: their life.

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Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely, one of our Wish alumni. We have a

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Speaker 2: robust Wish alumni contingent now of people who've had wishes,

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Speaker 2: and I love it when I get to meet them

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Speaker 2: and hear their stories. And one man, now he's in

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Speaker 2: the thirties, said, you know, he has the framed memorabilia

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Speaker 2: box of his wish hanging on his wall in his house,

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Speaker 2: right inside the front door. And when he comes in

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Speaker 2: after a hard day and sees that, he's like, I

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Speaker 2: can get through anything if I can you know, if

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Speaker 2: I got through that time, and his wish reminds him

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Speaker 2: of that I had the opportunity to meet someone recently

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Speaker 2: whose brother had a wish and it's kind of a

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Speaker 2: long story, but they got an airline credit as far

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Speaker 2: as something that happened with the airline, and so after

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Speaker 2: her brother passed away, she and her mom were able

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Speaker 2: to use the airline credit and they took a trip

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Speaker 2: to Europe. And she said, not only was the memory

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Speaker 2: of going to Hawaii with my brother and mother the

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Speaker 2: most special memory we could have had, because he passed

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Speaker 2: away a year and a half later because of what

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Speaker 2: happened on the trip in our flight being delayed, the

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Speaker 2: trip that I was able to take to Europe because

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Speaker 2: of that changed her life and so kind of that

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Speaker 2: lasting impact of that wish. And two days ago in

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Speaker 2: our office, we had a wish dad in here whose

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Speaker 2: daughter was granted her wish when she was a toddler

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Speaker 2: and she's twenty eight years old today and he still

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Speaker 2: is so grateful to make a wish for what that

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Speaker 2: did for his family during that time.

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Speaker 1: One wish, that one wish can be a total game changer.

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Speaker 1: That and I see right here that since the founding

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Speaker 1: of the Orange County and Inland Empire Chapter of the

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Speaker 1: makea Wish Foundation back in nineteen eighty three, more than

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Speaker 1: eight four hundred wishes have been granted for kids locally

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Speaker 1: right here. Also, together with your generous donor supporter staff

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Speaker 1: and more than thirty four thousand volunteers, Make a Wish

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Speaker 1: Orange County and Inland Empire and fifty six plus other

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Speaker 1: chapters throughout the country have granted more than more than

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Speaker 1: half a million wishes nationwide. Wow, such an impact for

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Speaker 1: so many critically ill children and their and their families.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely, and Make a Wish was really the inspiration for it.

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Speaker 2: Was a group of people who wanted to do something

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Speaker 2: to make a difference for a child. And it's really

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Speaker 2: grown into something so beautiful, so.

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Speaker 1: Beautiful, and still time for you to be a part

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Speaker 1: of it as a volunteer in general, but of course

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Speaker 1: hopefully part of their big trail blaze of fundraising weekend

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Speaker 1: happing the first weekend of March March sixth, seventh, and

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Speaker 1: eighth in Beautiful Joshua Tree in eighteen mile guided hike

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Speaker 1: three Beautiful Joshua Tree, but a very special weekend there

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Speaker 1: and Joshua Tree Fundraising Weekend on the information to get

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Speaker 1: you started if you want to be a part of

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Speaker 1: this trailblaze ocie dot org for more, and of course

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Speaker 1: their general website for other information. Wish dot org. Slash

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Speaker 1: O c I E. And Ann Gray, the CEO and

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Speaker 1: President of Make a Wish, Orange County Inland Empire, thank

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Speaker 1: you so much for all that you and your team

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Speaker 1: and all the volunteers are doing for these kids and

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Speaker 1: their families. Thank you, thank you,