The executive director of the Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation, the organization behind the wildly successful “Batkid” event last month, has hit a $50,000 fundraising goal, triggering a matching donation from San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain.
Cain and his wife, Chelsea, pledged to give $50,000 to the organization after seeing the smiles Miles Scott, a 5-year-old boy from Tulelake, Calif., brought to the faces of so many people during his stint as “Batkid” on Nov. 15.
Miles, who is recovering from leukemia, spent the day fighting villains and foiling crimes at staged events all over the city through Make-A-Wish, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.
Cain announced earlier this week that he would donate $50,000 if Bay Area executive director Patricia Wilson raised the same amount by Wednesday evening.
Make-A-Wish spokeswoman Jen Wilson said the executive director reached that threshold at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday, and as of this morning had raised more than $61,500.
Cain’s matching donation is part of the organization’s annual Brave the Bay fundraising drive, centered around an event at Aquatic Park in which police officers jump into the frigid waters of the Bay.
The event took place last weekend, and Wilson joined San Francisco police Chief Greg Suhr and other officers in braving the chilly waters.
Fundraising for Brave the Bay continues until the end of December.
Anyone who wants to donate is asked to visit www.bravethebay.org.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
