Girl reaches $6,000 dream for Make-A-Wish
By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer
GUILFORD — For the last month-plus Lilly Burgess of Guilford, who turned 6 on Aug. 4 and will be a first-grader at Piscataquis Community High School when school resumes, has been working to raise $6,000 to help a child through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Burgess collected funds for the endeavor through a bake sale, raffle tickets and bracelet sales, but to reach the milestone she received a little help from her friends.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
SURPASSED HER GOAL — Lilly Burgess of Guilford, pictured with Guilford Summer Rec Director Joe Gallant, was presented with a replica $900 check on July 30 at Piscataquis Community High School, which enabled Burgess to reach her goal of raising $6,000 to help a child through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The $900 came from bottle and monetary donations from Burgess’ fellow summer rec participants and others in the community and $250 from the Maine State Troopers Association.
On the morning of July 30 Burgess and her fellow participants in Guilford Summer Rec gathered in the Piscataquis Community High School gym prior to a trip to Peaks-Kenny State Park. “A lot of you know we have a young lady in our presence who has been doing a fundraiser,” Guilford Summer Rec Director Joe Gallant said, explaining Burgess has been graciously giving of her time to raise monies for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“I asked each of you and your parents if it was possible to bring in your returnables,” Gallant said, adding many of the summer rec children brought in contributions for Burgess. “In two weeks through KC’s Country Store, the people here and the state troopers who are here in this building, we have a check for Lilly.” Gallant said the Maine State Police gave Burgess not only their bottles for deposit, but a $250 contribution through the Maine State Troopers Association
“We raised $900, the goal was $500,” Gallant said. He then had a pair of teen Guilford Summer Rec staff members open a pirate treasure chest containing a $900 replica check that was almost the same size as Burgess.
“This puts us over $6,000,” Burgess’ mother Katie said, adding “we are going down to meet the people of Make-A-Wish on the 17th.” She told the several dozen children that the Make-A-Wish Foundation is “pretty important for little kids who feel like they don’t have hope.” The organization works to grant wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses their families otherwise could not afford, making wishes come true across the country about every 38 minutes and about every five days for a child in Maine.
“This will put her at $6,300 roughly,” Katie Burgess said, with her daughter’s fund-raising efforts starting on June 19 and continuing in order to make a second child’s wish come true. “She made a little over $1,000 at the River Festival,” selling Make-A-Wish bracelets and raffle tickets for prizes donated by local businesses later this month.
“We live in a small town but it’s an incredibly strong community, everyone has been so supportive,” Katie Burgess said.
More information on fundraisers and donating to Burgess’ efforts is at the Facebook page “Lilly has adopted a wish!”
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
PROUD MOTHER AND DAUGHTER — For the last month-plus Lilly Burgess of Guilford, who will be starting grade 1 in the fall and is pictured with her mother Katie, has worked to raise $6,000 to grant the wish of a child facing a life-threatening illness come true through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A $900 contribution presented to Burgess on July 30, coming from Guilford Summer Rec and the Maine State Troopers Association, put her over the $6,000-mark.