Disneyland dedicates 3 windows on Main Street to Make-A-Wish

ByJ.J. Zavalla KABC logo
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Disneyland dedicates 3 windows on Main Street to Make-A-Wish
Disneyland is celebrating World Wish Day by dedicating three windows on Main Street to Make-A-Wish.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- For the first time ever, Disneyland Resort dedicated its Main Street store windows to an organization, rather than a person.

For more than 40 years, Disneyland and Make-A-Wish Foundation have worked together to grant wishes to terminally ill children.

Typically, individuals who have contributed to Disneyland are honored on these windows. Many well-known Disney people have windows on Main Street U.S.A., including the Sherman Brothers who wrote the music for "Mary Poppins" as well as "It's a Small World."

You have windows for famous Imagineers that created some of the most iconic attractions.

"There's a lot of excitement behind it because it's a 40-plus year relationship. So this isn't something that happens overnight," said Disneyland Resort ambassador Mark Everett King, Jr. "It has been built upon which is really, really special."

"We've had kids from all over the world enjoy our parks and celebrate with their families. To unveil three windows today celebrating Make-A-Wish and celebrating some of the first Make-A-Wish kids, it's an incredibly exciting moment, that again, we're so honored to be part of," said Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.

One window is for Make-A-Wish, a second for Chris Greicius, whose wish inspired the creation of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The third window will honor Frank "Bopsy" Salazar, whose wish to visit Disneyland was the first official wish granted by Make-A-Wish over 40 years ago.

"My son was a fireball. He would have so much energy. He always talked to everyone, played with everyone," Octaviana Trujillo said about her son Frank. "The energy is here - they're just jumping up and down, and just being very proud that they have special windows here at Disneyland."

This could not be better timing, as this Saturday is actually World Wish Day. At Walt Disney World in Florida, they will be granting the 150,000th wish from Disney.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of this station.