Quarles & Brady LLP Honored with Make-A-Wish Arizona Tom & Madena Stewart Lifetime Compassion Award
PHOENIX, Ariz. — The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP today announced that its Phoenix office was honored with the 2016 Make-A-Wish® Arizona Tom & Madena Stewart Lifetime Compassion Award for its several decades of support and service to the organization. Quarles & Brady Partner – and former Make-A-Wish Arizona Chair – Brad Vynalek accepted the honor on behalf of the firm during the organization’s annual Wish Ball gala, which took place on April 2, 2016 at The Phoenician Resort in Phoenix.
The Tom & Madena Stewart Lifetime Compassion Award honors in perpetuity those outstanding community members and organizations who, through their contributions to the arts, business, education, government, humanities, community service, philanthropy, and science, have brought honor to themselves, Make-A-Wish Arizona, and the communities in which they work and live.
“Quarles & Brady has supported our Make-A-Wish Arizona chapter for more than 25 years, enabling us to grow the number of wish kids we serve every year by partnering with us in our mission,” said Elizabeth Reich, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Arizona. “We are honored that we could recognize their commitment to our chapter and our wish kids with this annual award.”
For more than 25 years, Quarles & Brady has worked behind the scenes and as a direct corporate supporter to help grant the wishes of Arizona children with life-threatening medical conditions—and so much more.
“In addition to providing direct funding channels to us, Quarles & Brady has also taken great pride in serving Make-A-Wish Arizona with its leadership—dedicating hundreds of pro bono hours offering legal services, volunteering on our committees, and even serving in leadership roles at the organization,” said Reich. “Most recently, the firm helped us secure a new building and, on a more personal level, Brad Vynalek, a partner at the firm and member of its national executive committee, who volunteered for nearly a decade on our board, served as our chair in fiscal year 2013. During his tenure on the board, Brad was a constant source of leadership and stewardship.”
“Make-A-Wish is most extraordinary for the impact it makes collectively for the child and the family. When a child is diagnosed and is dealing with a life threatening medical condition, the child and the family are at an all-time low point. The wish is a simple way to give the child the power to focus on something else. It gives respite at the time most needed. Make-A-Wish does all the planning, sifts through the details, and creates a wish experience where the only effort that is required is a smile,” said Vynalek.
About Make-A-Wish® Arizona
Make-A-Wish® Arizona is the founding chapter of Make-A-Wish®, the world’s largest wish granting organization which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. With the help of generous donors, Make-A-Wish Arizona grants more than 350 wishes annually. For more information, visit www.arizona.org to discover how you can Share the Power of a Wish®.