Construction to Begin on the 30,000-square-foot Finker-Frenkel Wish House in Overtown
September 29, 2021) — Make-A-Wish Southern Florida is pleased to announce the official groundbreaking of the 30,000 square foot Finker-Frenkel Wish House in Overtown, taking place on October 6, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. The chapter headquarters will be located at 343 NW 6th Street and rise five stories, inclusive of emerging technology, to provide children with an inspirational, fun and safe destination to determine wishes, as well as 15,000 square feet of event and office space.
The Finker-Frenkel Wish House will transform a child’s journey throughout the entire experience. From the entrance, through the hall of possibilities and imagination, to an invitation to play the wishing game, the Wish House allows them to celebrate the power of their wish, and will symbolize hope, strength and joy as the organization’s permanent residence. These children, their families, volunteers and donors will finally have a common home to share and will bring about opportunities for elevated philanthropic strides.
“It is a dream come true to break ground on the Finker-Frenkel Wish House and bring our vision for the wish experience to life,” said Norman Wedderburn, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. “Our goal is to bring hope and love to these children and their families as they walk through the halls of the new wish granting headquarters.”
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida grants the life-changing wishes of children that have critical illnesses and the entire family is included in the experience, without any cost or obligation to them. Research has shown the anticipation of such a wish and the memories made during experience can have a positive and significant impact on the health and well-being of the children, families, and extended networks reached by the nonprofit organization.
“At Make-A-Wish, it is our sole mission to bring joy and hope to our wish children. We anticipate the new headquarters to make for an even brighter future for the Southern Florida chapter, and will foster amazing moments and memories for children and their families,” said Richard Weissman, Chairman of the Board at Make-A-Wish Southern Florida.
South Florida-based owner advisory firm, Amicon Management, is the official owner’s representative for the Make-A-Wish chapter, with the exclusive design by award-winning firm Arquitectonica. Suffolk Construction has recently been named as the general contractor.
“It is truly a pleasure to work alongside such a prestigious organization to create the immersive experience of the Wish House,” said Adam Mopsick, CEO of Amicon. “The innovative design of the new Wish House is certainly pushing the boundaries on traditional structure, and is set to be a beacon of light and inspiration in South Florida.”
Currently, Make-A-Wish Southern Florida’s headquarters are located in Fort Lauderdale. The Finker-Frenkel house is expected to be completed by early 2023. The organization is very close to reaching a $30 million fundraising campaign goal for the new headquarters and wish endowment.
For more information, please visit https://wish.org/sfla
ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida has granted more than 13,000 life-changing wishes since 1983 for children who have critical illnesses. It aims to grant a wish for every medically-eligible child in its territory and understands wishes aren’t nice, they’re necessary for kids and families at the most difficult times.
Wish kids most often ‘wish to be’ (something), ‘wish to meet’ (someone), ‘wish to go’ (somewhere), ‘wish to have’ (something), or ‘wish to give’ (to a cause) and the nonprofit organization makes this happen for the child and his/her entire family at no cost or obligation.
The Southern Florida chapter’s territory includes 22 counties/four regions in southeast and southwest Florida, the Tampa Bay area, and on the Suncoast. It also includes the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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