2008 Woodie Awards
UCF helps high school student meet with the president
Christine Harper
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: News
Glenn Stepp had a wish, a wish he never thought would come true.
Glenn wanted to meet President George W. Bush in the Oval Office, and on March 10, his dream finally came true.
Glenn is like most other Casselberry High School seniors, except for the fact that he has spina bifida, a birth defect that has affected the formation of his spine. Even though he is in the top 5 percentile of spina bifida cases, he's undergone multiple surgeries in the short 18 years of his life.
"I've had a rough 18 years medically," Glenn said.
That's why Glenn's mother, Lisa Stepp, decided to reach out to New Hope for Kids, a Maitland-based nonprofit organization that grants wishes to youths under the age of 19 who have life-threatening illnesses.
After reviewing Glenn's application and personally meeting him, Rosie Wilder, New Hope for Kids' wish program director, decided to try to make Glenn's wish to meet the president happen. Wilder, who helps grant 50 wishes a year in the Central Florida community, knew just how hard granting this wish was going to be.
"It's very, very difficult to do celebrity wishes," Wilder said. "I don't think Glenn ever dreamed he'd meet President Bush."
To get Glenn and his family to Washington, D.C., Wilder, who partners with the College of Business Administration's Cornerstone course at UCF, assigned five business majors to Glenn's case. These students worked on his wish as a required service-learning project for the class. They raised money for the trip by hosting two car washes and a dinner at a local barbecue restaurant and by collecting personal donations.
The students eventually raised enough money to send Glenn and his family to Washington, D.C. Also, business major senior Sara Dykie recruited the help of U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, who arranged the meeting with Bush.
"I learned long ago that congressmen are the ones that help out," Dykie said.
When Glenn and his family finally reached Washington, they were treated to a weeklong vacation in the historical city. They visited the National Archives and the Postal Museum. They received a private tour of the Capitol, a behind-the-scenes look at NASA and mission control, and of course, the reason they came to D.C. in the first place, a meet-and-greet with the president of the United States himself.
Glenn wanted to meet President George W. Bush in the Oval Office, and on March 10, his dream finally came true.
Glenn is like most other Casselberry High School seniors, except for the fact that he has spina bifida, a birth defect that has affected the formation of his spine. Even though he is in the top 5 percentile of spina bifida cases, he's undergone multiple surgeries in the short 18 years of his life.
"I've had a rough 18 years medically," Glenn said.
That's why Glenn's mother, Lisa Stepp, decided to reach out to New Hope for Kids, a Maitland-based nonprofit organization that grants wishes to youths under the age of 19 who have life-threatening illnesses.
After reviewing Glenn's application and personally meeting him, Rosie Wilder, New Hope for Kids' wish program director, decided to try to make Glenn's wish to meet the president happen. Wilder, who helps grant 50 wishes a year in the Central Florida community, knew just how hard granting this wish was going to be.
"It's very, very difficult to do celebrity wishes," Wilder said. "I don't think Glenn ever dreamed he'd meet President Bush."
To get Glenn and his family to Washington, D.C., Wilder, who partners with the College of Business Administration's Cornerstone course at UCF, assigned five business majors to Glenn's case. These students worked on his wish as a required service-learning project for the class. They raised money for the trip by hosting two car washes and a dinner at a local barbecue restaurant and by collecting personal donations.
The students eventually raised enough money to send Glenn and his family to Washington, D.C. Also, business major senior Sara Dykie recruited the help of U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, who arranged the meeting with Bush.
"I learned long ago that congressmen are the ones that help out," Dykie said.
When Glenn and his family finally reached Washington, they were treated to a weeklong vacation in the historical city. They visited the National Archives and the Postal Museum. They received a private tour of the Capitol, a behind-the-scenes look at NASA and mission control, and of course, the reason they came to D.C. in the first place, a meet-and-greet with the president of the United States himself.