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Community Corner

Fifth Annual Skate for Wishes Hosted by Local Alumni

Katee Blizzard and Kasey Beatty, 2011 graduates of Ocean City High School, host the event on New Years Eve.

 

For more than 30 years, the Make A Wish Foundation has granted more than 141,000 wishes of children with life-threatening diseases. The foundation boasts that it makes a different child's wish come true every 41 minutes.

Since 2005, Katee Blizzard has hosted a local Skate for Wishes event raising money for the national foundation. This year, Blizzard and her friend Kasey Beatty have planned the event for New Year's Eve and hope to raise $2,000.

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Both girls are residents of Ocean City, 18 years old, and members of the Ocean City High School graduating Class of 2011. Blizzard had been skating for many years when she decided she wanted to support the Make A Wish Foundation.

"I wanted to mix my joy of ice skating and desire to help people, so Skate for Wishes was the perfect solution," Blizzard said

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Blizzard is on winter break from University of Central Florida, where she organized a similar event, making another successful donation to the foundation. Beatty is currently attending Ramapo College in New Jersey.

The Dec. 31 event will be held at Flyers Skate Zone in Atlantic City. For $15, skaters receive a skate rental, unlimited time on the ice and a raffle ticket. Skaters may stop by between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to take advantage of the offer. 

Last year, the event brought in more than 100 skaters. 

From the admission price, $5 goes to the Make A Wish Foundation. The remainder of the money will be used to pay for the rental of the rink and skates. In New Jersey alone, around 500 wishes per year are granted. According to the Make A Wish Foundation, wishes fall into the following four categories:

"I wish to go
Some Make-A-Wish kids want to travel to their favorite theme park, while others want to visit an exotic beach, go on a cruise, see snow for the first time, or attend a major sporting event or concert.

I wish to be
Children search the depths of their imagination when they wish to be someone for a day — a fireman, a police officer, or a model, for instance.

I wish to meet
Many want to meet their favorite athlete, recording artist, television personality, movie star, politician, or public figure.

I wish to have
Children often wish for a special gift, like a computer, a tree house, a shopping spree, or something that they have coveted for a long time."

"I am doing this to bring attention to people in need around the holiday and to give to people who are less fortunate," Beatty said.

The pair have many volunteers to thank including the Atlantic City Figure Skating Club, where Blizzard has been a member for 10 years, the Flyers Skate Zone and the Make a Wish Foundation

For more information, see the Facebook event page.

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