Dacula Girl and Her Puppy to be in Duluth Parade

Duluth and Dacula communities are especially invited to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Georgia & Alabama celebrate granting their 5000th wish to 6-year-old Caroline, a Dacula liver transplant survivor, Sunday (May 15) on the . 

Caroline wished for a Yorkshire puppy that she could play with every day and sleep with at night. She also wanted to show off her new puppy “Boo” in a parade. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Georgia & Alabama announced it is granting Caroline’s wish and organizing a puppy parade in her honor.

The family-friendly event from 2-4 p.m. will feature a band, a bounce house, an obstacle course, snow cones, funnel cakes, face painting and train rides for the kids. It is free and open to all nearby communities. 

The drum line and flag corps from the Peachtree Ridge High School Band in Suwanee will lead off the parade, followed by Caroline and Boo on the train and other adorable puppies she has chosen to appear in the parade wearing fantastic outfits.

"5000 wishes and counting is amazing! We have been so touched by the efforts and care Make-A-Wish has shown to our Caroline," said her mother Heidi Clayton. "The interest they show in tailoring happy moments to fit the individual child is amazing. I love how they focus on what makes the child happy, not on their illness. Caroline's wish puppy, which she named Boo, has brought her so much joy! She is so excited about the puppy parade and deciding what Boo will wear. These positive memories will last for years to come, as will her love for Boo! Thank you Make-A-Wish!"

“Granting children’s wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation® is a rallying point for people in their communities,” Kathy Hammond, Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Georgia & Alabama CEO, stated in the announcement. “It unifies everyone in a common cause, to bring hope, strength and joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions.”

“The City of Duluth is honored to be a part of making the wish of this precious little girl come true,” Public Information and Marketing Director Alisa Williams said. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® has held other events in the past on the Town Green, she said. 

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. The largest wish-granting charity in the world with 64 chapters in the United States and its territories, it grants more than 14,000 wishes a year. 

Now in its 16th year, the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Georgia and Alabama operates on a budget of about $4 million with 79 percent of all funds used for granting wishes to children, according to the announcement.