When his parents weren’t looking, or at least when he thought they weren’t looking, Danny would try to sneak a peek of the basement.
For the past few months, the 10-year-old would peer down the stairs to catch a glance of the renovations. But a quick glance was all he was able to get because he wasn’t allowed to go down the stairs. No, this wasn’t some type of punishment. Actually, it was quite the opposite.
While Danny was at the top of the stairs trying to get a look at the basement, contractors were busy at work converting the unfinished space into a theater room. And this isn’t just any old theater room. This theater room is Danny’s wish.
The young boy from East Hampton, Connecticut is a huge movie fan and he dreamed of a space where he can enjoy movies with his friends and escape from the rounds of treatments and hospital visits related to his leukemia. We’re talking about a slushy maker, mini-fridge, movie posters, karaoke machine… the whole nine yards.
When I heard about Danny’s story from Make-A-Wish, I immediately knew I wanted to help out however I could.
Danny’s Shopping Trip to My Newington Store
The Make-A-Wish team arrived at Bob’s Newington store to help Danny select furniture for his basement movie room
You can’t have an awesome movie room without comfortable seating, so I invited Danny and his family to my very first store, in Newington, CT. Giacomo, one of my finest store associates gave Danny and his family the VIP treatment.
Giacomo and Danny hit it off from the start. See, Danny’s a big Red Sox fan, and so was Giacomo when he was a kid. Giacomo met Danny and his family back in February when they first dreamed up the idea of creating a home theater and visited their local Bob’s to browse our selection. In the process of helping them shop, Danny and Giacomo got to talking baseball and their friendship was born!
When Giacomo learned that Danny’s family was coming back with Make-A-Wish to make their final furniture selections in June (a Montana entertainment center and an awesome Dawson sectional and recliner), Giacomo had some extra decorations to add to Danny’s dream theater.
Danny and his big sister loved their Red Sox gifts from Giacomo.
His mom and members of the Make-A-Wish team also hopped in the frame!
Delivery Day!
After their visit to the store, my delivery team took it from there. I knew Danny’s special Make-A-Wish Reveal Party was just weeks away, so we wanted to make sure his guests would have plenty of seating. I made sure my delivery team didn’t let Danny downstairs when they were dropping off the goods!
Opening Night at Danny’s Home Theater
With theme music from one of his favorite movies playing in the background, Danny made his way down the basement stairs for the first time in months. He had a special request to have the “paparazzi” greet him as he saw the room for the first time. With cameras in hand, family and friends greeted Danny as he laid eyes on his movie room for the first time.
The crowd, aka Danny’s paparazzi, set their phones and cameras to “flash” mode and waited for Danny.
I’ve got to say, the Make-A-Wish team knows how to make a kid feel special! Not only did they orchestrate his grand entrance, but they also showered Danny with movie-related gifts and organized a ribbon-cutting to mark the official start of the party!
The opening “ceremony” for Danny’s theater featured a ribbon cutting and gift presentation.
Nice job Make-A-Wish team!
After cutting the ribbon, Danny got right down to being the life of the party. At 10 years old, that means making noises into the karaoke machine while your two best friends belly-laugh with you. But we all had a great time! And guess who made a guest appearance. No, not me…Giacomo!
All in all, it was a great night. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to work with Make-A-Wish, Danny, and his family to bring his dream to life. Kick back and relax, kid—you deserve it!
