WORLD WISH DAY | MONDAY APRIL 29, 2024
On Holy Monday night, Greece shone blue to honor all the children who have battled a serious illness and recovered, the ones that are still fighting, as well as the memory of those who now light the way from above. Fairies and elves, families and wish kids, volunteers and friends of the organization “joined” in 15 symbolic walks, all coming together to be part of this nationwide initiative. They walked the road of wishes and lit up the sky, spreading hope and love for a brighter future.
For the first time, the annual, well-established Make-A-Wish Greece Walk for Wishes 2024 took place in 13 cities besides Athens and Thessaloniki: Aigio, Andros, Volos, Drama, Ptolemaida, Heraklion, Ioannina, Kavala, Corfu, Larissa, Naoussa, Trikala, and Chania. Additionally, more than 80 municipalities across Greece illuminated a landmark of their town in blue.
The walks were held in the evening, with participants lighting the routes with special blue lanterns. The climax of the event was marked when children in each city, in a symbolic gesture, released a few blue balloons into the sky. All walks ended at a lighted monument under the auspices of the Municipalities. Moreover, throughout Greece, two uniformed police officers participated in each walk under the auspices of the Hellenic Police, in honor of the first wish child, Chris Greicius.
In Athens, the walk began from the Panathenaic Stadium, with participants gathering with the support from the Hellenic Olympic Committee. The walk continued through Zappeion, passed by the illuminated Greek Parliament, and concluded at Syntagma Square, where the finish line was set up under the auspices of the Municipality of Athens and the radio station Rhythmos 94.9, which broadcasted the walk live.
Similarly, in Thessaloniki, the walk started from Aristotelous Square and ended at the Statue of Alexander the Great, under the auspices of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
The Athens and Thessaloniki walks were made possible with the valuable support of Event Plus and Avitron, along with Rhythm 94.9. A huge thank you to the event sponsors DryLog Ltd., IDEAL Holdings, and SRS Group of Companies. Gratitude also goes to the in-kind sponsors: Expose Prod., Exposure, Tore, the Panhellenic Association of Electrical Contractors, ERGO Insurance, Athens Avenue Hotel, Colors Hotel, Novotel Athens, Lucent Soiree, Dtek, God / Hill & Knowlton, Parties2bremembered, Redloop Creative Agency, Yupi Yaya, Bouquet Balloon – Sindos, and electrician Kostas Saltas. Finally, we extend a special thank you to our volunteer Asimina Katsoulis for the beautiful visuals, and to the female vocal ensemble “InDONNAtión.”
