The 2011 Miami Herald Wish Book program kept pace with last year’s program and topped all others in the three-decade history of gift-giving by readers.

A former attorney in Venezuela, Francia Torrealba would like to go back to law school to provide for herself and her autistic son.

A month’s rent will start the New Year right for a single mother who lost belongings in an apartment fire.

<span class="italic">Top Chef</span>, look no further. Coral Springs has got your guy. He can make the fluffiest home-style eggs, whip up a mean shrimp Alfredo and grill a steak that makes the neighbors swoon.

Lourdes López needs a special bed to that raises her head to help her when she succumbs to convulsions.

Juan Salazar can’t afford the United Cerebral Palsy Academy, where he flourished.

A 13-year-old Miami Beach girl in a wheelchair would be helped with a van equipped with a ramp.

For Gloria Rodriguez, getting help to pay for hurricane shutters would ease her stress.

The breeze caressing her face.

Lourdes López needs a special bed to that raises her head to help her when she succumbs to convulsions.

Juan Salazar can’t afford the United Cerebral Palsy Academy, where he flourished.

A 13-year-old Miami Beach girl in a wheelchair would be helped with a van equipped with a ramp.

For Gloria Rodriguez, getting help to pay for hurricane shutters would ease her stress.

The breeze caressing her face.

A former attorney in Venezuela, Francia Torrealba would like to go back to law school to provide for herself and her autistic son.

A month’s rent will start the New Year right for a single mother who lost belongings in an apartment fire.

<span class="italic">Top Chef</span>, look no further. Coral Springs has got your guy. He can make the fluffiest home-style eggs, whip up a mean shrimp Alfredo and grill a steak that makes the neighbors swoon.

A Pembroke Park woman hospitalized after suffering a heart attack on Thanksgiving Day asked for and received the down payment for homeowner’s and flood insurance on her home. She is recovering in hospice, and looks forward to returning home and to volunteering at a Hollywood senior care center.

Jennie Jean, 18, is on her own. Because of a technicality, she doesn’t qualify for state assistance. Help and a job are needed as she prepares to enter college.

Bennie Green, who has cerebral palsy, wants the chair to gain more independence. A hard worker, he’s saving up not only for the chair, but also to fulfill his dream of one day traveling to Las Vegas.

After several months in a Miami shelter, Antonese Dorsin and her children are settling into a home in Homestead. A washer and dryer and other items would make life more comfortable.

Nery Garcia needs lighted magnifying reading glasses that Medicaid does not cover.

At 40, a single mom of two teens needs help after taking in a relative’s two babies.

While most little girls her age might want a toy, Noa Carmel just wants to go for a walk.

A young widow needs a place to live with her two kids, and help paying for her son’s dental bills.