The annual walk of Make-A-Wish Greece!

Northern Greece met Southern Greece in the center of Athens for Despina…

On Saturday, April 29, with the participation of more than 700 people and under the auspices of the City of Athens, Make-A-Wish Greece celebrated the World Wish Day, with a “Cretan” walk in the center of Athens. Center of the walk? Despina’s wish jousney!

Despina, a wish child with mobility impairments, is 8 years old and has wished to visit Rethimno, one of the largest cities in Crete, the largest island in Greece. However, during the organization’s annual walk, Despina proved to us that her wish has nothing to do with vacations, but with Crete itself. She loves the Cretan tradition, people, music and the traditional dances of the well-known traditional Cretan group, Omilos Vrakoforon of Crete. Spending time with the group and its members is her deepest wish. The loud scream, when she saw them waiting for her from afar, her will to get up from her wheelchair and stand proudly to dance proved not only that this is indeed her dream, but also the immense strength she hides within herself!

The annual walk started from D. Areopagitou, with our beloved Ambassador, Fay Skorda, by our side like she always is. Among the participants there were many wish families and Drumsticks, Athens College Elementary School students’ orchestra. At the junction of Pireos and Ermou Streets and under the traditional sound of the lyre and the lute, Vrakoforoi welcomed Despina with mantinades, 15-syllable rhyming couplets in Cretan dialect, written only for her. Their energy captivated the audience and they all moved excitedly to the final destination, Technopolis of the City of Athens. In the bright blue courtyard, the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, and the President of Technopolis, Konstantinos Dedes, welcomed the walk.

The party went on until late, with the Cretan group offering a unique spectacle, while Despina remained upright throughout the evening. We also enjoyed the Cretan orchestra with P. Saridakis on the lyre, Ch. Virgakis on lute, D. Kavarino on guitar and A. Kyriakakis on bass. Then, Vassilis Koumentakos took over the “decks”, and the wish children surrounded him with love and their wonderful dances!

At the same time, World Wish Day celebrated all over Greece, with more than 70 Municipalities lighting up blue a significant place/ building of their town, while wish families all over the cities became one for the celebration. Photos of the “blue” cities took over social media, while all the Municipalities participated in the action proved to be valuable allies for the organization’s vision to reach all children who deserve to have their wishes fulfilled! Enjoy photos from all over Greece on our Greek site www.makeawish.gr