{"id":61594,"date":"2025-12-15T19:26:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/61594\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T19:26:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:26:09","slug":"conor-amendola-nears-100000-milestone-in-fundraising-for-make-a-wish-greater-pennsylvania-and-west-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/61594\/","title":{"rendered":"Conor Amendola nears $100,000 milestone in fundraising for Make-A-Wish\u00ae Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Amendola\"<\/a>Conor Amendola. Contributed photo.<\/p>\n

What began as a wish has grown into a mission for local college senior Conor Amendola of Erie, who has launched his annual\u00a0Wish Your Way campaign benefiting Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Amendola\u2019s goal is to raise $15,000 this year to help fund three wishes in honor of his 22nd birthday, bringing his lifetime fundraising total to more than $100,000. As of Monday, he\u2019s raised\u00a063% of that annual goal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Amendola was diagnosed with Crohn\u2019s disease, a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, in 2011. While there is no cure, the illness is treatable, and he continues to receive care from physicians in Erie and Pittsburgh. His family credits his gastroenterologist, Dr. Dale King, with helping him manage the condition effectively.<\/p>\n

In 2015, Amendola\u2019s former physician at Children\u2019s Hospital of Pittsburgh nominated him for a wish through Make-A-Wish. Though his family initially believed the organization served only children with terminal illnesses, they soon learned Make-A-Wish grants wishes for children with critical illnesses, offering hope and joy during difficult times.<\/p>\n

In April 2016, Amendola\u2019s wish came true \u2014 an afternoon in New York City with his favorite late-night talk show host, Jimmy Fallon. The experience had a profound impact on his outlook and inspired a promise to give back.<\/p>\n

That commitment began years earlier. At age 9, Amendola transformed his birthday parties into pay-it-forward events, raising funds and collecting gifts for local organizations. His early efforts supported the Barber National Institute, AHN Saint Vincent Hospital and Children\u2019s Hospital of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

Over the past 10 years, Amendola, with help from family and friends, has raised more than $96,000 for Make-A-Wish, helping grant wishes for children facing critical illnesses. His generosity has been recognized by WJET-TV, Kohl\u2019s Cares and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Northwest Pennsylvania Chapter, which named him Outstanding Young Philanthropist in 2016.<\/p>\n

Now 21, Amendola is launching his 2025 campaign with the goal of helping more children experience the joy and hope a wish can bring.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake-A-Wish gave me something I\u2019ll never forget \u2014 hope,\u201d Amendola said. \u201cThat day changed how I saw my illness and my future. Every wish is a reminder that joy and strength can exist even in hard times. I\u2019ve been fortunate to help many kids feel that same hope, and I\u2019d love for others to join me this year so even more children can experience that life-changing wish.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of the 2025 Wish Your Way campaign, the community is invited to Amendola\u2019s annual guest bartending event benefiting Make-A-Wish on Wednesday, Dec. 17, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Room 33 in downtown Erie. All proceeds will support Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia in granting wishes for local children with critical illnesses.<\/p>\n

To read Amendola\u2019s story and donate online, visit\u00a0site.wish.org\/goto\/conor<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Conor Amendola. Contributed photo. What began as a wish has grown into a mission for local college senior…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61595,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[136,138,137],"class_list":{"0":"post-61594","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-erie","8":"tag-erie","9":"tag-erie-headlines","10":"tag-erie-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}