Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) recently served as a sponsor of Make-A-Wish North Dakota’s World of Wishes gala, which raised more $95,000 to help fulfill the wishes of children with critical illnesses across the state.
Cody Johnson, a senior security specialist with MPC’s midstream segment, MPLX, noted that his support for Make-A-Wish goes back more than 30 years.
“My sister Casey had leukemia as a child and was granted her wish to go to Disney World in 1992,” said Johnson, who now serves on the board of directors of Make-A-Wish North Dakota. “Knowing the profound and lasting impact that Make-A-Wish has had on our family, it is an honor to be able to give back.”
Make-A-Wish North Dakota’s recent World of Wishes gala raised $95,000 to help fulfill the wishes of children with critical illnesses across the state. This money is expected to fund 13 wishes, pushing the total number that the organization aims to deliver in fiscal year 2025 to nearly 60.
Along with helping to sponsor the gala, MPC individually supplied the funding for one of this year’s wishes. A $7,500 grant will make it possible for Amelia, a 12-year-old girl with congenital heart disease, to spend several days in Hawaii. In fiscal year 2024, another MPC grant provided a dream equipment setup for YouTube content creation to 14-year-old Zahra who has a neuromuscular disorder.
Wish children and their families are the focus of Ivy Pokorny’s volunteer efforts with Make-A-Wish North Dakota. Pokorny, a senior time and scheduling coordinator at MPC’s Mandan refinery, is a wish granter, meaning she meets with the families to brainstorm wish ideas and then works to help make each wish a reality.
“Before I became a volunteer, I saw classmates of my kids have wishes granted. I knew I wanted to be a part of making that joy come true,” Pokorny said. “Nothing compares to the look of excitement when my first wish child saw his wish.”
Johnson echoed this sentiment, suggesting that delivering wish experiences has left impressions on him that are not likely to fade away.
“I was traveling for MPLX and chatted with a wish family from North Dakota who happened to be on the same flight,” said Johnson. “As we were de-boarding, the wish child asked if he could take a picture with me. It was in that moment I realized that, in his eyes, I wasn’t just Cody — I was the one who had made his wish come true.”
