New Hartford Woman Honored by Make-A-Wish Central NY

A New Hartford woman is being honored by Make-A-Wish Central New York for everything she does to "sprinkle happy" in the lives of children.

You've probably heard of Make-A-Wish. It's the organization that makes dreams come true for seriously ill children. 33 of those children live right here in the Mohawk Valley. Cheryllyn Tallman has been part of making those dreams come true since 2010. In Tallman's own words: "I sprinkle happy."

“I am amazed by the kids we serve,” she said of the organization, which grants special wishes to children with critical illnesses. “We can’t change the hands these kids were dealt, but we can make magic, and magic is what we do.”

Currently, Make-A-Wish Central New York has more than 130 wishes in process, including 33 in the Mohawk Valley, and 9 in Utica. Tallman will surely play a role in a number of them.

As a wish-granting volunteer, Tallman works directly with the child and family to determine what the child’s wish will be, then sees the wish through to the end, providing engagement and support along the way. Wish granters serve as liaisons between the chapter’s main office in East Syracuse and the family and local community.

Make-A-Wish Central New York serves a wide swath of upstate. They cover all the wishes in Oneida, Madison, and Herkimer counties. On their list of pending wishes are children from nearly every part of those counties: there are 9 children waiting in Utica, 4 children in Rome, and 3 in Ilion. All in all, 33 children - one of whom might be your neighbor - are waiting to have a wish granted.