Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
A wish for Whitney
 |
| Miranda Remaklus/Daily Press Whitney Whelchel was given flowers and a tiara as she and the Greene County Tech high school student body learn she was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Her wish is to have a redecorated bedroom. |
Whelchel begins senior year with huge surprise
By MIRANDA REMAKLUS
mremaklus@paragoulddailypress.com
Whitney Whelchel’s wish is the same today as it was prior to the Oct. 27, 2006, accident which nearly took her life.
A redecorated bedroom.
At a back-to-school assembly Monday at the Greene County Tech high school multi-purpose building, Whitney, 17, learned that her wish was coming true thanks to students from her high school and the Make-A-Wish Foundation®.
Darla McCreless, the high school cheerleading sponsor, told the assembled group of students that they raised $1,000 last year for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and that money was going toward Whitney’s wish. McCreless told students she hopes they are just as generous with the Make-A-Wish Foundation this school year.
Prior to the announcement, Whitney, who still uses the assistance of a wheelchair, was rolled out to center court to a standing ovation from the student body and faculty.
Whitney requested the microphone and told the students, “I love you,” and, “Thank you.” Several in the crowd of students responded with an, “Aww,” and Whitney responded with a giggle. She was then presented another gift of flowers and a tiara from a group of students.
Jackie Whelchel, Whitney’s mother, said Whitney is “very excited” about her room getting redecorated.
She said a group of volunteers will gather at her home Saturday at 8 a.m., to begin the redecoration. Jackie said the family has been asked to leave the house until the work is complete.
Jackie said she knows the furniture will be black, the room will be painted in a toasty brown and the comforter on Whitney’s bed will be a shade of green similar to her eye color.
“The rest will be a surprise,” Jackie said.
Jackie said Whitney will also get several canvasses so she can paint art for her room. She said painting has become something Whitney enjoys doing.
Jackie said this will be an excellent step for Whitney to gain some independence. She said Whitney is very alert and aware of everything going on around her. She is able to speak and with the help of her physical trainer, she is able to take steps. She was recently given a motorized wheelchair that has given her some independence as well.
Jackie said it would be all volunteers doing the work Saturday. She believed several of Whitney’s friends and people from their church, Brown’s Chapel Baptist, will do the work. She said the people from Make-A-Wish would have a cook-out lunch for the volunteers.
Whelchel was involved in an accident on U.S. 49 at Brookland with four of her friends. The accident was fatal for the driver of the other vehicle.
According to an Arkansas State Police fatal crash summary, at about 2:15 p.m., Oct. 27, 2006, a 1999 Mercury Mountineer driven by Abigail Williams, 18, was northbound on U.S. 49. A 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor driven by Shauna M. Kail, 18, Jonesboro, was attempting to make a left hand turn onto U.S. 49 from U.S. 49 B. Kail pulled into the path of Williams. Williams’ vehicle struck Kail’s on the driver side.
Kail was pronounced dead at the scene by Craighead County Coroner Toby Emerson.
Whelchel, Ginger Todd, 18, Drew Breckenridge, 17, and Allie Combs, 18, were passengers in Williams’ Mountineer.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-South was founded in 1986, and has office locations in Memphis and Little Rock. The Mid-South chapter serves West Tennessee, North Mississippi and the entire state of Arkansas.
According to Emily Schildt, a communications intern with Make-A-Wish, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-South has granted over 3,000 wishes since its inception, and will grant 270 wishes in 2008.
Schildt said to qualify for a wish, a child must be older than 2 ½, and younger than 18 at the time of referral. A physician must certify that a child has a life-threatening medical condition. There are no other necessary qualifications, including sex, race or socioeconomic status.
A redecorated bedroom.
At a back-to-school assembly Monday at the Greene County Tech high school multi-purpose building, Whitney, 17, learned that her wish was coming true thanks to students from her high school and the Make-A-Wish Foundation®.
Darla McCreless, the high school cheerleading sponsor, told the assembled group of students that they raised $1,000 last year for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and that money was going toward Whitney’s wish. McCreless told students she hopes they are just as generous with the Make-A-Wish Foundation this school year.
Prior to the announcement, Whitney, who still uses the assistance of a wheelchair, was rolled out to center court to a standing ovation from the student body and faculty.
Whitney requested the microphone and told the students, “I love you,” and, “Thank you.” Several in the crowd of students responded with an, “Aww,” and Whitney responded with a giggle. She was then presented another gift of flowers and a tiara from a group of students.
ADVERTISEMENT |
She said a group of volunteers will gather at her home Saturday at 8 a.m., to begin the redecoration. Jackie said the family has been asked to leave the house until the work is complete.
Jackie said she knows the furniture will be black, the room will be painted in a toasty brown and the comforter on Whitney’s bed will be a shade of green similar to her eye color.
“The rest will be a surprise,” Jackie said.
Jackie said Whitney will also get several canvasses so she can paint art for her room. She said painting has become something Whitney enjoys doing.
Jackie said this will be an excellent step for Whitney to gain some independence. She said Whitney is very alert and aware of everything going on around her. She is able to speak and with the help of her physical trainer, she is able to take steps. She was recently given a motorized wheelchair that has given her some independence as well.
Jackie said it would be all volunteers doing the work Saturday. She believed several of Whitney’s friends and people from their church, Brown’s Chapel Baptist, will do the work. She said the people from Make-A-Wish would have a cook-out lunch for the volunteers.
Whelchel was involved in an accident on U.S. 49 at Brookland with four of her friends. The accident was fatal for the driver of the other vehicle.
According to an Arkansas State Police fatal crash summary, at about 2:15 p.m., Oct. 27, 2006, a 1999 Mercury Mountineer driven by Abigail Williams, 18, was northbound on U.S. 49. A 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor driven by Shauna M. Kail, 18, Jonesboro, was attempting to make a left hand turn onto U.S. 49 from U.S. 49 B. Kail pulled into the path of Williams. Williams’ vehicle struck Kail’s on the driver side.
Kail was pronounced dead at the scene by Craighead County Coroner Toby Emerson.
Whelchel, Ginger Todd, 18, Drew Breckenridge, 17, and Allie Combs, 18, were passengers in Williams’ Mountineer.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-South was founded in 1986, and has office locations in Memphis and Little Rock. The Mid-South chapter serves West Tennessee, North Mississippi and the entire state of Arkansas.
According to Emily Schildt, a communications intern with Make-A-Wish, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-South has granted over 3,000 wishes since its inception, and will grant 270 wishes in 2008.
Schildt said to qualify for a wish, a child must be older than 2 ½, and younger than 18 at the time of referral. A physician must certify that a child has a life-threatening medical condition. There are no other necessary qualifications, including sex, race or socioeconomic status.
 |
||
| PSD enrollment figures up from last year |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of paragoulddailypress.com.
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
Please note: We provide our story commenting feature in order to solicit feedback, debate and discussion on topics of local interest. Please keep in mind that civility is a necessary component of productive conversation. All blatantly inflammatory or otherwise inappropriate comments (i.e. vulgarity, marketing, etc.) are subject to rejection and/or removal. Comments will appear if and when they are approved. Thanks for reading, and thanks for participating.