Readers’ generosity leads to unexpected gift for South Florida teen over the holidays
Wishes do come true over the holidays.
Every year since December 1982, the Miami Herald has shared Wish Book stories of South Florida people in need. The goal: for readers to help their neighbors.
And this year, the tradition continued, along with an unexpected gift.
“We were able to grant wishes for 184 families,” said Roberta DiPietro, Wish Book coordinator. “However, there are still some challenging requests left to fulfill, including furniture, AC repair, medical equipment, auto repair and housing support. We remain committed to completing these wishes to the highest level possible in the weeks to come.”
How much did Wish Book 2024 raise?
So far, the 2024 Wish Book season has raised $260,872 in funds, DiPietro said. In 2023, $288,403 was donated. Readers can still contribute at any time during the new year.
The donations reflect “the extraordinary generosity of our community, funding causes to support the families impacted by the storms earlier in the fall,” she said.
Challenges and generosity
The storms, two major hurricanes, Helene and Milton, hit Florida on Sept. 26 and Oct. 9 — not even two weeks apart. The disasters cascaded Gulf waters through thousands of already battered homes along the state’s west coast.
In November, as the Wish Book season began, FEMA announced that residents in one heavily damaged region, tourism-friendly Fort Myers Beach, would expect an average increase in their flood insurance costs in 2025. Residents could even face losing their coverage if rebuilding isn’t done properly — meaning, among other measures, placing homes on higher ground.
Elsewhere, readers’ budgets were stretched thin by the surging costs of simply living.
Yet we opened our wallets and hearts. And gave again.
“Year after year, our readers come together to make a profound difference in the lives of individuals and families in need. Wish Book embodies the mission of the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald — to shine a light on challenges and inspire action. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support our South Florida community continues to show through action and donations,” said Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald Executive Editor Alex Mena.
“Donations ranged from household essentials and toys to computers, furniture, appliances, and medical equipment. One particularly touching gift was a new keyboard for an autistic musician with big dreams,” said DiPietro.
Diagnosed with autism when he was 2 and struck by an SUV when he was 17, Walter Sylvain, now 15 and a student at Miami Central High School, finds peace through music. After he was nominated by Hope for Miami and his story ran in the Miami Herald’s Wish Book series in December 2024, Tony Siciliano from Piano Music Center in Hollywood gave Walter a brand new Yamaha P-125 full-size digital keyboard.
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A family of farmworkers in Southwest Miami-Dade with four children nominated by the Redlands Christian Migrant Association received furniture for their sparse and small one-bedroom apartment, including beds they had asked for, after a Wish Book story ran around Christmas.
An unexpected gift
One Wish Book story was a double bonus for two clients from the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. One recipient was a Wish Book nominee. The other was not. Both received a much-needed scooter thanks to two generous donors.
Bernhard Lukoschek of Miramar read the December Wish Book story about Stella Georgakopoulos, a 46-year-old woman who woke up three years ago with sudden vision loss in one eye. Tests revealed she had multiple sclerosis, a chronic, neurological disease that affects the body’s central nervous system. She regained her vision but her mobility is compromised. She and her husband are raising a 9-year-old daughter, but it’s hard to keep up with an active child when struggling with MS.
Lukoscheck, who uses a wheelchair, reached out to Wish Book to grant Georgakopoulos’ wish for a blue, Vive 4-Wheel Mobility Scooter. A scooter would let her keep up with her daughter at parks and malls and other places where that can be a challenge.
But the new scooter lacked a platform underneath the seat and weighed about 50 pounds — too heavy for her needs, said Marcia Harris, support groups and outreach manager for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.
An anonymous donor, meanwhile, also read that story and donated a scooter that, at 29 pounds and with the platform attachment, worked well for Georgakopoulos.
But what about Lukoscheck’s kind offer of a scooter? “I had an extra one,” he said. So he said he told Harris at the foundation, “I can give you one if you have another person who needs one. I’ve got one available.”
Harris scoured the foundation’s database and told him about another client who had applied internally for a scooter. He was not nominated for Wish Book, she explained. But he sure could use a scooter like the one Lukoscheck was offering.
Deryan Deal, a 19-year-old engineering student at the University of Central Florida, received that unexpected gift over the holidays.
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Deal, who was home in Hollywood for the holidays, had said he was so exasperated walking from class to class around the Orlando campus he was almost ready to quit, DiPietro said.
A recent MRI revealed lesions on his spine so his mom suggested he stick close to their Hollywood home for a semester. He’s taking classes this semester on campus and online at Florida International University, Harris said.
“He wants to be an engineer and he wants to work at NASA. He’s very smart,” Harris said, as emotion crinkled her voice when she spoke of Wish Book’s impact in South Florida.
“I wish other states would do the same thing. It’s just wonderful. I get teary talking about it because it’s amazing that people are so generous with their donations. Last year we had a person that needed an electric wheelchair and within the first day, she got it. She she cried and cried. She said, ‘I can’t believe it.’ And I said, ‘Well, there’s people out there that care.’ “
How to help
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To continue helping the nominees of 2024:
▪ To donate, use the coupon found in the newspaper or pay securely online through www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
▪ For more information, call 305-376-2906 or email Wishbook@MiamiHerald.com
▪ Read all Wish Book stories on www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
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This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 11:15 AM.
