PHOENIX — On Saturday, December 6, as thousands of people come out to celebrate the 38th annual APS Electric Light Parade in Central Phoenix, there's a Valley-based nonprofit organization that will also be in the spotlight.
Make-A-Wish Arizona has been selected as grand marshal for the parade this year, with the theme of "Let it Glow."
Make-A-Wish Arizona has already celebrated some major milestones recently. This year, they marked 45 years since the very first wish that created a movement that has granted wishes for hundreds of thousands of kids around the world.
Recently, ABC15's Nick Ciletti was able to sit down with the woman who helped start it all.
"He was a very proud little policeman."
That's what Linda Pauling said about her son at the time, just 7 years old.
"He stood tall," says Linda. "He stood proud, and he was smiling from ear to ear."
He may have only lived for seven and a half years, but as it turns out, that was all Chris needed to make a huge impact on the world.
In 1980, after battling Leukemia for three years, the Arizona Department of Public Safety heard about Chris's dream to become a member of law enforcement. Facing a debilitating diagnosis and realizing he'd likely never get to see adulthood, the heroes at DPS and across the community made his wish come true one spring day in 1980.
Not only did DPS fly Chris in a helicopter, but they also drove him around in one of their cars, gave him a pin, and his very own custom uniform.
"I know what it meant to Chris. I saw it firsthand - and I know what it meant to me because I felt it firsthand...It was so wonderful. Webster wouldn't even know the words to put in the dictionary."
There was something else Linda felt that day she couldn't deny: the end for Chris was near.
"He passed away...this was literally the last week of his life, which was full of joy, full of happiness, and his dreams did come true."
But Linda would soon find out there were more dreams where that came from.
"After three years of doctors and hospitals, there's more kids. It was kind of unanimous. Let's go find them. Let's start an organization where we let kids make a wish, and we make it happen, and it was just as simple as that."
Linda laughed when she talked about starting off with just $37.76.
"And one big dream," she adds. "Talk about grassroots! We had more dirt than grass."
But the seeds had already been planted.
Since then, Make-A-Wish has blossomed into an international organization, granting more than 615,000 wishes across the United States alone - and it all started with Chris - and his mom, who turned their pain into purpose that continues to ripple around the world."
For more information about Make-A-Wish Arizona, click here.
For more information on the APS Electric Light Parade, click here.
