Grants the Wishes of 30 Children with Life Threatening Illnesses

Washington, D.C.- Mike Manatos, with the strong support of his Hellenic community, set a fundraising record for the annual Make-A-Wish Foundation Triathlon. This year Manatos’ eight-year fundraising total for the Make-A-Wish triathlons approached a quarter-of-a-million dollars. This amount far exceeds all others in the 22-year history of this annual event, the only one of its kind in the country, which attracts over 1,000 participants.

The funds Manatos raised have enabled 30 children fighting terminal or life threatening illnesses to each have their wishes come true. This year Manatos raised $38,441 from over 220 supporters for the triathlon which is held in Bethany Beach, Delaware.

“I have been overwhelmed, but not surprised, by the positive response from the Hellenic community across the country. Over 75% of my contributions come from Greek-Americans. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a wonderful match for the Greek-American community, which values family and children so highly,” said Manatos.

I was particularly pleased this year, as one of the children whose wish we paid for was Yianni, a Greek-American child, who traveled with his family to Disney World,” said Manatos.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that fulfills the wishes of children ages 2 ½ to 18 with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Make-A-Wish has granted the wishes of over 144,000 children worldwide, 10,300 last year alone (or 28 each day). Every child referred since the foundation was founded in 1980 has had his or her wish granted. The wishes are limited only by the child’s imagination. Make-A-Wish is the world’s largest wish-granting organization.

For more information, please contact Jared Cohen, Chief Operating Officer of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic at 301-962-9474.