Spotlight: “Cooking for Wishes” Helps Make Dreams Come True on the Suncoast

By Stu Opperman | June 2023

More than six years after the encounter, the experience still resonates, the memories linger, and the impact is still regularly felt. 

“We think and talk about it all the time,” said Tonia Bichler, mother of Silas, a young man who had his wish to meet Pope Francis granted by Make-A-Wish Southern Florida in 2017. “There are photos throughout our house and Silas loves to tell everyone he meets about his wish.” 

Born with cerebral palsy and now 24-years-old, Silas’ life has been consumed with doctor visits, treatments, and health-related limitations. The family annually travels to Philadelphia and St. Louis, not to visit the Liberty Bell or Gateway Arch, but because there are medical specialists to see in those cities. “Of course, spending time with the pope was the highlight, but it was also  nice to take a trip, forget about the medical stuff, and see our kids enjoying themselves,” said Bichler, who traveled to Rome and Vatican City with her husband, Markus, and sons Silas and Josiah. 

Pope Francis spent a relatively long period of time with the Bichlers, looking through a photo album that documented Silas’ journey, sharing words of wisdom with the young man, and giving each of them a rosary they cherish to this day. 

The family recently attended and shared their story at “Cooking for Wishes,” an annual Make-A-Wish fundraiser that helps underwrite the cost of life-changing wishes for critically-ill children on the Suncoast. The event, held at the Circus Arts Conservatory in Sarasota, featured a four-course, interactive dinner where guests at each table prepared their own meal under the direction of Executive Chef Jamil Piñeda and Phil Mancini from Michael’s on East. The evening also included wine selections by Michael Klauber, live, and silent auctions. 

More than 400 supporters attended, raising $650,000, enough to grant wish experiences for more than 80 children and families. “The satisfaction of knowing we’re changing so many lives is the best part of a philanthropic effort like this one,” said Terri Klauber, who co-chaired Cooking for Wishes along with Renee Phinney. “Local children deserve hope, strength, and joy, and that’s what we’re all focused on delivering in the special way that Make-A-Wish does.”  

While Tonia and Silas wowed the crowd with stories about meeting the leader of the

Catholic church, it was another group of Sarasota residents, the Alvis family, that got the exciting news that their child’s dream would soon come true. Seven-year-old Jocelyn, who has been battling leukemia, learned that her wish to see snow would be granted from the proceeds of the cooking event. The family recently returned from a dream vacation in Olympic Valley, California (site of the 1960 Winter Olympics) where they enjoyed snowtubing, skiing, and sightseeing in the winter wonderland. 

Jocelyn was diagnosed in April, 2022, immediately putting the family in constant crisis mode. While she is still receiving oral chemotherapy, the family feels the worst of the disease is behind them and the trip was a celebration of moving forward without cancer. “Make-A-Wish spared no expense making sure we had a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Torian Alvis, Jocelyn’s father. “It was our first time away since before the diagnosis and it certainly meant a lot to our family. We had a blast.” 

Jocelyn fulfilled a promise she made at Cooking for Wishes, wasting no time hitting her brother with a snowball. In one area where the family was, the snow was 16-feet deep. 

“The wishes we grant aren’t just nice things we do for people whose lives have been turned upside-down by a medical crisis, they’re necessary to the health and well-being of not only the child but the entire family unit,” said Norman Wedderburn, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. “It’s a time for them to reset around a positive experience and get back to being who and what they were before the child got sick. Doctors have told us, and medical research confirms, we’re a big part of the healing process.” 

With that in mind, Make-A-Wish’s regional office in Sarasota, led by Taylor Marini, is always on the lookout for children who might qualify for the nonprofit’s services. Anyone with some knowledge of an individual’s medical condition can refer a child and while that’s most often done by medical professionals, teachers, friends, or even a child’s own family can start the process. Once a doctor certifies their patient has a condition or illness that makes them eligible, the child will receive a wish. “We’re a religious family and when Silas first mentioned that he wished to meet Pope Francis, we thought it might be too big and might not be able to be done,” said Bichler. 

“It took a long time to hear back from the Vatican, but we were able to tell our kids on Christmas morning that it was going to happen, and more than a few happy tears were shed.”

The wishes of Silas and Jocelyn are two of the nearly 14,000 Make-A-Wish Southern Florida (www.wish.org/sfla) has granted since 1983 for children who have critical illnesses. Wish kids most often ‘wish to be’ (something), ‘wish to meet’ (someone), ‘wish to go’ (somewhere), ‘wish to have’ (something), or ‘wish to give’ (something) and the nonprofit organization makes this happen for the child and his/her entire family at no cost or obligation. 

Those wishes cost an average of $8,000 and that’s why events like Cooking for Wishes are critical to underwriting the expense. Make-A-Wish receives no government or United Way funding, raising 100% of its annual budget through special events, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and individual contributions.

The Southern Florida chapter expects to grant more than 600 wishes this fiscal year, approximately one every 14 hours. “We’re always looking for the next child and family we can impact and are thankful ‘cooking’ provides us the means to do that on the Suncoast,” said Marini. 

Terri Klauber and her volunteer committee are already looking to top this year’s record-setting effort. The 2024 event is scheduled for February 22 and will feature a “Wizard of Oz”  theme, with the Circus Arts Conservatory once again the venue. 

To learn more about the event or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.cookingforwishes.com.