Jennifer Menzies of Newton County is a typical 16-year-old who loves Hannah Montana, Chinese food, and hip-hop and rap music. Unfortunately, Jennifer suffers from Sickle-Cell Disease, a painful blood disorder in which the red blood cells are shaped like crescent moons instead of full moons and do not transport oxygen properly. In May of 2009, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Jewelers for Children granted Jennifer's wish go on an all-day shopping spree.

A limo picked up Jennifer and her mother early in the morning, and Jennifer was able to shop until the early evening when the limo, packed with shopping bags, drove them back home. Jennifer was given spending money to buy anything she wanted, and she picked shoes, jewelry and new clothes.

Jewelers for Children is sponsoring Jennifer's wish as part of a national alliance with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America to support the foundation and its mission of granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Jewelers for Children is supported by Jewelers of America and has raised more than $6.9 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and has helped to grant a total of 1,053 wishes in the United States.

Since its beginning in 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has expanded into 69 chapters within the United States and has 33 international affiliates. The Foundation is most proud of the fact that it has been able to grant more than 170,000 wishes and continues to grant more each day. The Georgia & Alabama chapter grants an average of 400 wishes a year and has an average wish cost of $6,700.

The Foundation's mission of granting wishes to children with life threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy has enabled it to make a difference in the life of children facing life threatening medical conditions and to make their greatest wishes come true.