WWE Superstar John Cena Grants Milestone 200th Wish with Make-A-Wish Foundation® by bluepastry Blog entry

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by bluepastry

WWE Superstar John Cena Grants Milestone 200th Wish with Make-A-Wish Foundation®

WWE® Superstar John Cena® has racked up victory after victory during his successful career in sports entertainment.

Date: 12/11/2010 12:22:17 PM ( 14 y ) ... viewed 29936 times

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- WWE® Superstar John Cena® has racked up victory after victory during his successful career in sports entertainment. More importantly, he has quietly achieved another impressive record: granting the wishes of 200 children with life-threatening medical conditions through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Cena, who also serves as a Wish Ambassador for the Foundation, granted his 200th wish on CBS’s “The Talk” television program on Thursday, Dec. 9 (airing Dec. 10). Cena surprised the child, 9-year-old Shayan of Agoura Hills, Calif., on the program and invited him to attend Monday Night Raw® in New Orleans as part of his wish.

Cena reached the 200th wish milestone in just six years, joining NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and former WWE Superstar Hulk Hogan as celebrity wish granters who have fulfilled 200 wishes. Overall, World Wrestling Entertainment has granted more than 3,500 wishes with the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the past 25 years.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but this isn’t about me. It’s about giving kids a chance to smile again and receive attention for something other than their medical condition,” Cena said. “They just want to be treated like normal kids, and anytime I can help them enjoy their moment and feel hope, I’ll be there.”

“What stands out about John is his enthusiasm for meeting kids virtually anytime, anywhere,” said David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and chief executive officer. “It’s really a testament to his desire to make every wish experience unique for the kids, to bring them the joy they deserve and to make them feel like they’re the superstar. We thank John for his remarkable dedication to our mission and look forward to him granting many, many more wishes.”

While his wish total is noteworthy, the variety of wishes he has granted over the years is equally as impressive. Cena has entertained scores of wish kids at WWE’s Monday Night Raw®, WrestleMania® and other WWE events. He has also met wish kids at such locations as movie sets, amusement parks, and video-game stores, as well as surprising them as a waiter at a restaurant, a server at an ice cream shop and even “bumping into them” in a convenience store. In 2009, Cena received the Foundation’s Chris Greicius Celebrity Award for his dedication to granting wishes.

To celebrate his accomplishment, Cena is leading a campaign to grant 200 more wishes with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Supporters can send a $5 donation via mobile phone by texting WISH to 50555 through Dec. 31 or make a donation online by visiting wwe.com/johncenawish. Since more than 70 percent of wishes involve travel, supporters who are also Delta SkyMiles members can also “go the extra mile” and donate miles online. For every mile donated, Cena and Delta will each match up to one million miles.

Cena also serves on the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Wish Ambassador Council and assists in expanding wish-granting outreach across the United States. Led by basketball legend and Chief Wish Ambassador Michael Jordan, the council is composed of people passionate about the Foundation’s work, including the Make-A-Wish® founders, celebrities and national sports figures, former wish children, wish parents and other Foundation supporters.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Founded in 1980 when a group of caring volunteers helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is one of the world’s leading children’s charities, with 64 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 200,000 wishes in the United States since its inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.

About WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family-friendly, PG content across all of its platforms including television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 500 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Mexico City. Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.

Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, copyrights and logos are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.