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From: winter@Apple.COM (Patty Winter)
Newsgroups: soc.net-people,misc.headlines,misc.kids,misc.misc,news.misc
Subject: Re: Make A Wish Foundation [Re: David's Last Wish]
Summary: Make-A-Wish is legit; some soundalikes aren't
Keywords: Make-A-Wish
Message-ID: <8917@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 18 Dec 88 23:58:43 GMT
References: <4592@homxc.UUCP> <621@xilinx.UUCP> <280@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU>
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In article<280@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU> trainor@math.ucla.edu (Douglas J. Trainor) writes:
>In article <621@xilinx.UUCP> kevin@xilinx.UUCP (Kevin Kelleher) writes:
>    According to a call to the local "Make a wish" foundation this
>    is a hoax.  He may be trying for a record, but as far as they
>    know he is not ill.
>
>This "foundation" was exposed recently on the American television show
>"60 Minutes".  They showed how the whole thing was a scam.  Call CBS in
>New York ( 212-975-4321 ) and ask to talk to someone from "60 Minutes"
>and then ask how you can get a transcript.

Point of clarification: it was *not* Make-A-Wish that the TV show
tore apart--it was a soundalike organization. Make-A-Wish is a legitimate
group founded nine years ago in Phoenix. Unfortunately, their good efforts
have inspired a flock of groups with similar-sounding names, some perhaps
legitimate, some definitely not.

Kevin is correct: Make-A-Wish was *not* involved in this "David" project.
I don't know how M-A-W's name got added to the address of that lady
in Florida; as we now know from the newspaper article someone posted,
she's with the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Perhaps
M-A-W is now so well known that people assume they're behind any
project involving a dying child's wish.

Incidentally, it was "20/20" that did the recent expose' on a scam to 
collect money for children's "last wishes." Perhaps "60 Minutes" has 
done a similar story at some time in the past, but I'm not aware of it.


Patty

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Patty Winter N6BIS                        DOMAIN: winter@apple.com
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