Friday, August 15, 2003
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Friday, August 15, 2003 |
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Coweta fifth-grader seeing wish become reality By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Coweta County resident Frankie Pickard, a fifth-grader at Cannongate Elementary School, made a wish that came true with help from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. His wish was to become a country music star and Make-A-Wish gave him a CD release party at the Hard Rock Cafe and a chance to perform in front of fans. On Saturday night, he gets another chance to perform. This time it will be before the sold-out audience at the Villages Amphitheater in Fayetteville before country legend Glen Campbell takes the stage. Frankie went into cardiac arrest two weeks after he was born. Since then he has had several surgeries, including a valve replacement surgery. He is supposed to have the valves replaced every five years but may be able to avoid that surgery this year because of how well he is doing. And he is doing well. Frankie is an energetic child with a sense of humor that lights up a room. He enjoys math, skateboarding, playing basketball and wrestling with his brother, Scotty. His biggest passion though is, and always has been, country music. His favorite artists are Joe Nichols, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride and, especially Rascal Flatts. His bedroom is full of pictures of all of those artists and one of his prized possessions is a shirt that has been autographed by a number of country stars. He is hoping to get Glen Campbell to sign the shirt on Saturday. "He was just awestruck when he got backstage at the concert and met some of the guys from Rascal Flatts," said Frankie's mom, Martha. "His jaw just about hit the floor." Frankie began singing for his family since the age of three, though he admits that all he knew at that time was Barney songs. Despite a life threatening condition, he has practiced regularly to one day perform before a crowd. Frankie got that chance in the end of June when he performed his original song, "Eva," written about his girlfriend, before a crowd of children and their families from Children's Healthcare from Atlanta, where Frankie was once a patient himself. The day before his performance included a CD release party for his debut CD, "Open Heart With a County Beat," which featured the song Frankie wrote with the help of John Hopkins and Kimbie Bone. Hundreds of Make-A-Wish supporters were in attendance as members of the papparazzi, bodyguards and adoring fans. After the release party and his performance, Frankie was named an honorary inductee to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and also received the Phoenix Award from Mayor Shirley Jackson. Coweta County also proclaimed June 20 to be "Frankie Pickard Day." "Frankie's wish is one of the most unique wishes we have worked on," said Michelle Wisch, chief operating officer of Make-A-Wish. The foundation partnered with several local professionals, organizations, and corporations to make Frankie's "rise to stardom" as true to life as possible. The local United Auto Workers-General Motors dealers were Frankie's official wish sponsor, and South Towne Motors provided two Cadillac Escalades to transport Frankie and his "entourage" during his wish. He was given image consulting, media training, a complete "star makeover", and vocal coaching. Frankie's "fan mail," sent from hundreds of Atlanta schoolchildren, was delivered to his VIP hotel suite. A professional photo shoot resulted in a myriad of promotional materials including life-size cutouts, headshots, pins, and posters, all of which were utilized during Frankie's many "meet and greet" sessions with his "fans." Frankie has been inspired by having his wish granted by Make-A-Wish and is currently raising money to sponsor a child's wish himself. He has put all of his birthday money with the money he has raised and has accumulated $470 so far. He also plans to build on his wish experience and have a long-term career as a musician. He can play a little piano and is learning the guitar, but he really loves singing. The audience at Saturday's Glen Campbell show will get to see just how much he loves it when he performs a cover of Martina McBride's "Concrete Angel" and then his song, "Eva." With Frankie's passion and dedication to his singing, it appears he is well on his way to making his wish become a reality.
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