Many children in the world may never reach the age of 20 because they have life-threatening illnesses. These range from sickle cell anemia to leukemia, just to name a few. There are more than 150 organizations worldwide that give these kids a chance to enjoy life by granting their wishes. One organization that stands out as the leader for granting children with life-threatening illnesses their wishes is the Make a Wish

Foundation.

In 2005 the Make a Wish Foundation granted more than 12,500 wishes, with many of wishes trips to Disney's theme parks. The average cost of a single wish is more than six thousand dollars. Of every dollar donated, 79% goes toward granting wishes, which is more than can be said for some well known charities. To qualify for a wish, the child has to be 2-1/2 to 18 years old and be doctor certified with a life-threatening condition. Any race or socio-economic status is accepted.

I just attended the Wine and Wishes 2007 Charity Benefit for the San Francisco Chapter of Make a Wish. This gala included some of the great restaurateurs, and vintners from around Bay Area. Presenting chefs included names like, Nate Appleman of A16, Arnold Eric Wong of bacar, and Mark Franz of Farallon Restaurant. Guests were able to sample food and drinks while they placed bids at the silent auction, which included weekend getaways and cases of top shelf wines, fine pearls, and even a signed Joe Montana football jersey. All the money raised went toward granting wishes to children whose lives might not allow them to live and enjoy life as normal children might.

The wine and food tasting was just one of the events - there was the Wine and Wishes Winemaker Dinner which began after the tasting event. A band of chefs called the Back Burner Blues Band, included Chef Joey Altman, who was once one of we8there.com's featured chefs. The dinner was a three course meal. The first course was Three Beets, Two Nuts and a Pear (I'm not making this up). The second course was Cedar Planked Scallops with a Deconstructed Clan Chowder, and the third course was Roasted Veal Loin with a Chanterelle and sweetbread Crepinette, Sunchoke Puree, Horseradish Veal Jus. Dessert there was Salad of Citrus Confit, Caramel Ganache and smoked salt. Our wine glasses were never empty from the moment we entered the door.

After dinner was the auction with items up for bid that would rival lifestyles of the rich and famous. (Nothing that I could afford, but it was nice to dream.) One of my favorites was life in the fast lane, where five of your friends would be treated to a fleet of high performance luxury cars (Ferrari, Lamborghini or Maserati) for a weekend as you toured the wine country Italian style. Opening bid $2,000. I didn't stick around long enough to see how the bidding went, but If I had the money, there were a few items I might have bid on. However, I'm a journalist and we don't make that kind of money. Let me rephrase that. Most of us don't make that kind of money. If you are feeling charitable, the Make a Wish foundation is the way to go. Although I am still a big fan of donating to food shelters, since the birth of my three year old I have a soft spot in my heart for the little ones. Reporting from San Francisco's Treasure Island I'm Stanley Roberts of We8there.com. www.makewish.org