Senior exceeds goal for Make-A-Wish fundraiser
Long before Constance Parks decided what her senior project would be, the 18-year-old was planning a fund-raising concert.
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"I actually knew I wanted to do a concert and started planning it at the end of my junior year," said Constance, a senior at Evans High School.
Constance chose the Make-A-Wish Foundation as the beneficiary after learning more about the organization and seeing how it affects the lives of sick children and their families.
"I chose the Make-A-Wish Foundation because they just blew me away with some of the things the children wanted and the wishes they were granting," said the daughter of Henry and Cynthia Parks, of Martinez.
A gospel concert with a Disney twist was held Jan. 5 at Gospel Water Branch Baptist Church in Evans. Constance's goal was $200; nearly $800 was raised.
"I was very emotional," she said. "I cried. It was great."
Marcia Buck, a Make-A-Wish volunteer, said the funds will benefit local children and their families.
"It goes a long way toward helping the children," she said. "We have a lot of 'wish' kids here. These trips they are asking for cost quite a lot. What Constance did just goes so far to help us grant a wish."
The concert featured a mix of gospel music and Disney music, Constance said. Because many children put in a wish for a trip to Disney World, she wanted the concert to have a Disney theme.
"This is a concert I would have paid to see," Buck said, adding that the entertainment was beyond her expectations.
Constance, who plans to attend the University of Georgia and pursue a career as an entertainment lawyer, said she enjoyed putting the concert together. She also decided that she wants to become a Make-A-Wish volunteer.
Buck said the concert raised awareness of what the foundation does and helped recruit new volunteers.
"Two of the people at the concert came up to me and said they wanted to be a volunteer," she said. "Constance, I think, just through that concert made so many people aware of Make-A-Wish."