Friday, July 4, 2003
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Friday, July 4, 2003 |
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Young singer gets a chance to shine With the help of several local professionals, corporations, and schools, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, recently helped turn a local youngster's dream of becoming a country music star into reality. Frankie, a 10-year-old boy from Coweta County who suffers from a heart condition, was given the "red carpet treatment" last month as he debuted his album entitled "Open Heart with a Country Beat." His wish experience included a private, surprise CD release party at the Hard Rock Café in downtown Atlanta and honorary induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. "Open Heart with a Country Beat" features an original song dedicated to Frankie's "first love," Eva. The upbeat tune is a reflection of his effervescent personality which still exists despite what he has endured, including several surgeries and a heart valve transplant. At his CD release party, unbeknownst to him beforehand, he was greeted by hundreds of Make-A-Wish Foundation supporters and volunteers, acting as "paparazzi", "bodyguards" and "adoring fans." The next morning, he and his "entourage" were escorted to a series of media interviews. He then returned to the Hard Rock Café to perform his debut single before a crowd of children and families from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, where Frankie himself was once a patient. His wish concluded the following day at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon. There, Frankie was named an honorary inductee before a small gathering of his friends and family. Several metro-area professionals donated their respective talents and expertise to make Frankie's "rise to stardom" as true to life as possible. For the past several months, Frankie worked directly with a number of musicians to record and produce "Eva." Throughout the process, John Hopkins of local band Brighter Shade offered Frankie vocal coaching and gave him a first-hand look at how music is made. "Frankie is a very talented young man with endless energy," Hopkins said. "I've thoroughly enjoyed working on his wish. I anticipate 'big things' from 'big Frankie' in the future." To create the CD itself, Whippoorwil Sound and Lakeside Productions provided studio time for Frankie's recording sessions. Rodney Mills mastered the CD at Rodney Mills Masterhouse, and ON4 Productions reproduced it for limited distribution. Frankie's "image consultants," Atlanta-based international fashion show producer, Van Pharr, and hair stylist, Pascal Sellem of Kells & Guernsey, conducted his "star makeover." Barry Hundley and the staff at Brooks Brothers in Lenox Square Mall outfitted the "young star" by providing a personal stylist to each family member and a personal fitting for Frankie. With the help of Michelle Batts and Bianca Gibson at Perimeter Mall, Frankie received more additions to his wardrobe from Children's Place. Local public relations executive Stephanie Gordon of Moroch, Leo Burnett USA, served as Frankie's "publicist" and offered him media training and interview priming. Local schoolchildren contributed to Frankie's wish by sending him "fan mail." Hundreds of letters offering congratulations and encouragement came from area public and private schools and will be delivered to Frankie's VIP hotel suite at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, where he, his parents and his brother will stay during his wish. Sally Fox, a second-grade teacher at The Children's School whose class wrote fan mail, shared, "My class impressed me with their willingness to help another child, and it shows in their letters. We talked about what their wishes would be if they were in Frankie's shoes and that really helped them put things in perspective. Above all, we had fun thinking of creative kudos for Frankie." Atlanta's corporate community also played a vital role in making Frankie's wish come to fruition. The local United Auto Workers-General Motors dealers are Frankie's official wish sponsor, and Mader's Chevrolet is also providing two sport utility vehicles as transportation for Frankie and his "entourage" during his wish. Dozens of other metro-area companies made in-kind donations, including Balloons Over Atlanta, Hard Rock Café, Honey Baked Ham, Horse Town East, Jock's and Jill's, Kodak, and Westin Peachtree Plaza. A professional photo shoot provided by Suwanee-based Sports Section resulted in a myriad of promotional materials including life-size cutouts, headshots, pins, and posters, all of which will be utilized during Frankie's many "meet and greet" sessions with his "fans" over the course of his three-day wish experience. "Each of the almost 2,000 wishes our chapter has granted since its inception in 1986 is unique in its own way," said Make-A-Wish CEO Diane Valek. "One of the reasons why Frankie's is so special is because it integrated the efforts of so many individuals and organizations in our community and allowed them to experience the power of a wish firsthand." When the scope of Frankie's wish was shared with his father, he said in amazement, "If you had told me all of this before, honestly, I would not have believed you. We just never thought this was possible." Frankie was born Sept. 30, 1992, in Columbus and now resides in Sharpsburg. When Frankie was two weeks old, he went into cardiac arrest and was promptly diagnosed with a serious heart condition. This diagnosis was followed by a series of heart surgeries. A year after his last surgery, three-year-old Frankie started performing country music in his home. Kimberly Thatch, a Make-A-Wish recipient who performed in Orlando, became an important musical inspiration to Frankie. He decided that, like Kimberly, no medical condition could "keep him from the spotlight." Although he continued to suffer from his life-threatening heart condition, he was determined to maintain a practice schedule in order to one day perform for an audience. After surgery to replace a valve in his heart, Frankie performed "One Small Miracle" by Bryan White and dedicated his first live performance to his doctors and family. Currently a fifth-grader at Canongate Elementary School, he is passionate about singing and plans to build on his wish experience to sustain a long-term career as a music performer. Frankie's pediatric cardiologist, Dr. David Jones, referred him to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.www.wish.org. The Georgia and Alabama chapter is the result of a merger of three separate regional chapters. As one of the fastest growing chapters in the country, it operates on a budget of $3.5 million and is proud that 84 percent of all funds are used for granting wishes to children. In 2002, the Chapter granted over 350 wishes and expects to grant more than 400 in 2003 through the commitment and dedication of the community and the work of board members, trained volunteers, and administrative team throughout Georgia and Alabama. For further information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama, please contact Paulette Lohman at 770-916-WISH (9474), extension 38 or visit the Foundation's web site at www.wish.org/georgia.
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