The PA System

Virtual High School holds its own Run4Kids event each year in support of children’s charities. Run4Kids is a 5 kilometer run/walk around the beautiful village of Bayfield. This year, Run4Kids worked with the Bayfield Optimist Club to support Reiko through Make-A-Wish Southwestern Ontario. Reiko is a 5-year-old child from Huron County who is living with an inherited skeletal disorder. Here are some fun facts about Reiko:

• He loves superheroes & gummy treats
• He enjoys playing on his trampoline
• His favourite colours are orange, blue, and red
• He watches  movies in his spare time
• He enjoys playing video games

Reiko’s wish was to take a trip to his favourite theme park in Orlando, Florida, and with the help of our community, Reiko’s wish came true.

Representatives from the Make-A-Wish South Western Ontario foundation visited the VHS office on November 18th, 2015 to say thank you and share a note from Reiko’s mother:

“The Wish Trip was exhausting but lots of fun. The boys had an incredible time. Kai was absolutely in love with the flights and meeting the pilots, and Reiko was in heaven when he met Mickey Mouse…twice! I think those were their favourite parts of the wish trip aside from swimming every day.

Every day they would come back and get so excited to see their gifts from Give Kids the World, and we ate way too much good food there. Our favourite experience as parents was definitely going to Rainforest Cafe with the boys. Because of Make-A-Wish, we didn’t have to wait in line, and the restaurant made the boys meal on the house and provided Rainforest frog cups! And then when we watched the Indiana Jones stunt show at Hollywood Studios, they had the boys come up and be junior directors. After the show, they met Indiana Jones and he gave them a signed hat! We were treated like royalty all week.

The wish really let us all relax and get to know each other again. With work and the boys in school, we haven’t spent that much time together in years, so that was really special to have that one-on- one time with them and not have to think about appointments, etc. It was an incredibly wonderful week, and we won’t ever forget that time. Thank you for everything.”

We are thrilled to have been a part of making Reiko’s wish come true and were brought to tears by the message we received from his family. From all of us at Virtual High School, thank you to Make-A-Wish SWO for introducing us to Reiko and his family.

Click the image below to view a gallery of images from the Run4Kids event and the Make-A-Wish SWO visit.