Assemblyman Jones partners with community to Make a Wish for 15-year-old Christopher

SPECIAL TO THE EAST COUNTY CALIFORNIAN

Assemblyman Jones partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps, Make-A-Wish® and the Associated General Contractors of America, San Diego Chapter, Inc. to give 15 year-old Wish Kid named Christopher a dream vacation in San Diego, California.

SPECIAL TO THE EAST COUNTY CALIFORNIAN

Assemblyman Jones partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps, Make-A-Wish® and the Associated General Contractors of America, San Diego Chapter, Inc. to give 15 year-old Wish Kid named Christopher a dream vacation in San Diego, California.

“It was my honor to help facilitate a full Miramar experience for Christopher and his family,” said Assemblyman Jones. “Not only did Christopher experience the San Diego sun and fun at the beach, he got to experience the United States Military presence in San Diego by visiting the Miramar base. I’m grateful to all of the Marines who took time out of their day to make Christopher’s San Diego experience even more special.”

Christopher, who has battled a life-threatening tumor, wanted a trip with his family to a location that had sunny, warm beaches, facilities in which he could see and learn more about reptiles, and a location that was holding a “muscle car” car show. During the Construction Leadership Council car show with the Association of General Contractors, Christopher and his family met Gail Ramer, a representative with Assemblyman Jones’ Santee office, who helped facilitate a day at the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

“Make-A-Wish San Diego is so grateful for all of the efforts put forth in making Christopher’s wish experience here in San Diego by visiting Miramar a memorable one,” said Katie Shahzade, Wish Coordinator at Make-A-Wish ® San Diego. “The family had such a wonderful time as every staff member went above and beyond to welcome them, show them all the exciting ins and outs on base and gift them with some uniquely personal souvenirs! Christopher and family left all smiles and at Make-A-Wish, we consider that a success story.”

Christopher started his day being greeted by the Chief of Staff at Miramar. During his visit, he experienced several different simulators, including the M22 and the F18. He spent some time with an experienced pilot on the flight line and got hands-on experience with an F-18. Next, he visited the MWSS 373 (Maintenance and Transportation) where he operated some of the large pieces of machinery, referred to as “oversized Tonka toys.” Throughout the day, he was gifted t-shirts from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and several of the squadrons and was named an Honorary Black Belt.