Make-A-Wish kid becomes ballgown designer at Disney World
10-year-old Rita received the opportunity of a lifetime: to design her very own Disney princess ballgown. This is her Make-A-Wish story.
Rita, a Georgia resident and cancer patient, dreams of someday becoming a fasion designer. Make-A-Wish made her dream a reality, and in between meetings with Cinderella and Prince Charming and other Disney icons, she dropped by the costuming department at Walt Disney World this past week.
Photos courtesy of Disney
The costuming team at Disney planned a full day of designing, character meetings, and touring for Rita and her family. With the help of expert designers, Rita got the opportunity to sketch out a princess ballgown design, which she named “Rita’s Rose Diamond Dress.”
“I was so excited because I got to go to a top-secret fashion place at Disney,” Rita said. “I got to see all the ways costumes are designed, which was really cool.”
The team at Disney gave Rita a full tour of the costume building department and the fabric library. Then they surprised Rita with the news that they would create a doll-sized version of Rita’s dress design for her to keep.
One of the Disney fashion designers that Rita worked with, Allison Atmore, said that Rita’s Make-a-Wish visit was especially encouraging for her. “As a child, I was in and out of the hospital myself. It means so much to be able to fulfill a wish for someone going through that because I know what it’s like. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had at Disney, and I’m so grateful I got to be part of it.”
As part of Disney’s 45-year-long relationship with Make-A-Wish, Walt Disney World will host a Disney Princess party for other Make-A-Wish patients and their families this coming April. It’s another part of the more than 165,000 wishes Disney has granted over the years.
For the 75th anniversary of the 1950 film “Cinderella” on Feb. 15, Disney also sent us a Cinderella-themed ear headband. It’s part of a selection of souvenir memorabilia recently released, which is available from Disney Store here.
To learn more about Rita’s story, check out the Disney Parks Blog post about her visit. You can also visit the Make-A-Wish website to learn more about the organization’s mission to help dreams come true for children facing life-threatening illnesses.
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