Blue Angels & Fleet Week Association with Make-A-Wish
As the one of the charities that the Blue Angels actively support, the Make-A-Wish Foundation® is extremely honored to have the opportunity for wish children to meet these goodwill ambassadors for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Each year about 30 wish families associated with the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation are invited to meet the Blue Angels during one of their practice sessions during San Francisco’s Fleet Week celebration. The wish children, all of whom have had their wish granted within the past year, are escorted through security to a private hangar where the Blue Angels are based for the weekend. The kids watch the precision flight team land, have a meet and greet with the pilots and then are lead onto the tarmac for an up-close look at the planes.
According to Linda De La Torre, Program Director, “We are thrilled that the Blue Angels offer this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our wish kids. Many of the families who participate have relatives who are or were pilots in the military. So, being able to have this experience means a lot to them.”
As stated by one wish mom, “Jonnie had a very rare opportunity to meet and hang out with the Blue Angels. With synchronized precision, the Blue Angels taxied and exited their aircraft to meet with us. What a spectacular afternoon!”
