Sixty-five UD members of Chi Omega saw their philanthropic efforts pay off at the sorority’s national convention in June, as this year’s Make-A-Wish recipient, 3-year-old Grace Miller of Wilmington, Del., was told she’d be going to Walt Disney World in Florida.

“The room was transformed into a spectacle under the sea, and Little Mermaid paraphernalia consumed the stage,” Chi Omega member Caitlin Costello, BE ’07, said. “Bubbles being blown by more than 1,000 Chi O’s surrounded Grace and her family as they made their way to the platform.”

A fan of Walt Disney princesses, Grace was paired with UD’s Rho Lambda chapter of Chi Omega, which collected more than $7,000 to make her wish come true through fund-raising efforts during the 2005-06 academic year.

“I’ve always wanted to work with children, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation is a wonderful organization that matched Chi Omega with a very deserving little girl,” Chi Omega sister Joanna Ryan, AS ’06, said.

“We had a goal at the beginning,” Ryan said. “We wanted to donate a wish to a child and knew we could raise $500. We ended up far exceeding that.”

As part of the gift, Grace and her parents, Nichole and Bill Miller, were greeted at the Chi Omega opening ceremonies by Disney’s Cinderella and were presented gifts and their travel itinerary for the July trip to Walt Disney World.

“Fraternity and Sorority Life and Student Centers are extremely proud of the members of Chi Omega,” Matthew Lenno, the University’s assistant director of student centers, said. “This is evidence of an outstanding effort led by a group of intelligent young women.”

The Make-A-Wish Foundation, a network of more than 25,000 volunteers who help grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions, was chosen in 2002 as the national philanthropic organization for Chi Omega. Since then, all Chi Omega chapters combined have raised more than $2.3 million and have volunteered more than 139,000 hours to help grant the wishes of children like Grace.