Make-A-Wish Southern FL Fundraiser Hopes To Raise $1M For Sick Children

SARASOTA, FL — Terri Klauber was moved to tears while attending a Make-a-Wish Southern Florida fundraising luncheon in Sarasota for the first time 17 years ago. The organization grants life-changing “wishes” to children with critical illnesses.

“I was just captivated by what I witnessed,” she told Patch. “One of the Wish children just asked for a violin — that’s it — and got on stage and played, and I was in tears. Music healed him from illness, and the impact on the family and the child was magical.”

Ever since, she’s served as co-chair of the event, which was reconfigured about 12 years ago as Cooking for Wishes, a four-course, interactive dinnerwhere guests at each table prepare their own meal under the direction of Jamil Piñeda, executive chef, and Phil Mancini, co-owner, of Michael’s on East.

The event, which raised $1.1 million for Make-a-Wish Southern Florida last year, also features wine selected by Michael Klauber — the restaurant’s co-owner and Terri’s husband — a live auction and a local family sharing about the life-changing nature of their wish experience.

Tickets for the upcoming Feb. 19 fundraiser, which has a theme of “Studio 54: A Night of Funk and Flavor,” at the Circus Arts Conservatory in Sarasota are $750 each.

For years, the luncheon was so popular that Terri realized there was an opportunity to create a bigger event and raise more funds for the nonprofit.

“I knew we could do more,” she said. “We went from a luncheon to this crazy idea to go down a rabbit hole and try a dinner.”

Cooking for Wishes ticket holders are given access to cooking burners at their tables, sautee pans and other cooking tools, and pre-measured ingredients, and the chef walks them through preparing three courses.

“You’ve never seen people have so much fun in their life and laugh so much,” Terri said. “They do their best to follow along.”

Pre-made desserts are served as the fourth course, she added. “We used to have people prepare a dessert but with flambéing and the flame and all that, we said, let’s just serve a dessert so we don’t burn the place down."

The dinner has grown over the years, selling out each event.

“The Wish children really touch the hearts of everyone in our community. Sarasota is such a huge community of loving and generous Make-a-Wish supporters,” she said. “They’ve shown up year after year.”

Each year’s dinner features a unique, immersive theme, such as “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Wizard of Oz.”

Partnering with the Circus Arts Conservatory to use their facility, elevates this experience, Terri said. “It gives us so much space and we have these aerial opportunities for an interactive experience from the minute you get there until the minute you leave. It’s not just cooking and drinking; you walked into Wonderland and felt like you walked down a rabbit hole.”

She added, “We think of things like, ‘I bet we can get a witch to fly across a table,’ for the ‘Wizard of Oz’ theme. We had farm animals at the front. I got my friends to dress up. My grandchildren were munchkins; my dog was Toto. The community shows up and dresses in theme. Women I never thought would put a costume on come and dress in theme. People have a blast.”

In addition to learning how Make-a-Wish impacts families at the event, a wish is revealed to a local child at each dinner. Last year, a girl, Delaney, learned on stage that she was going to Paris, a longtime dream of hers.

“It’s such an exciting moment for a child who doesn’t know why they’re at the event,” Terri said, adding, “These wishes create the hope and joy and strength to fight these critical illnesses. It’s medically and scientifically proven that these wishes have helped to heal a lot of children.”

She hopes to raise more than $1 million at the upcoming fundraiser. On average, a wish costs between $8,000 and $10,000, often because it includes a child’s entire family.

The wishes range "from the simple to the extravagant," Terri said. “It’s the simple wishes that touch my heart.”

One wish that stands out for her is a 15-year-old girl who was going through treatment last year and asked for a mini room makeover so she had space to create content and to write.

“It’s not always elaborate; she just wanted a place to write and create and to figure out a place to heal,” Terri said.

She was also especially touched by another child, a boy with brain cancer, who spoke at one of the fundraisers following a chemotherapy treatment.

“He told me, ‘Terri, don’t ever stop doing what you’re doing; you’re going to help so many children,’” she said. “I’m in this for the rest of my life. I’ve made a commitment to this sweet angel.”