A sunflower farm is making wishes come true.
This year, Buttonwood Farm in Griswold is celebrating the 21st annual "Sunflowers for Wishes" with the Make a Wish Foundation of Connecticut.
"It's really cool because you get to just wander. And there are just rows and rows and rows, and you just get to pick any one you like," said Cameron Wilson.
Eight-year-old Wilson had his wish granted in 2022. He went to Disney World with his family just five years after being diagnosed with leukemia, but he beat it.
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He was one of three Wish Kids to pick the first sunflowers ahead of the event.
"It's so cool that they just help everyone like us," said Wilson.
We also met Ava Carter, who was only three days old when she needed a pacemaker. It's something she still lives with today. Her wish came true just last summer.
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"Which was glamping in Yellowstone. Glamping is basically, it's like camping in a tent, but it's more upscale," said Carter.
"For me, being able to see that the wish gives them the fight, the strength that they need to keep going," said Christina Alt with Make a Wish Foundation of Connecticut.
Alt says these wishes wouldn't be possible without these events and the community's help.
The event runs from Saturday, July 20 to Sunday, July 28 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. All the proceeds go directly to the Make a Wish Foundation of Connecticut to help kids get their wishes granted.
Seven-year-old Lucy Farrar can't wait for hers, which is expected to be built this summer.
"It's a playhouse with a zip line and twirly slide," she said.
That's what she wants as she battles cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that involves hours of therapy every day. But she's a strong little girl – a gymnast and a wrestler – and her parents say Make a Wish has helped her grow into the person she is today.
"Make A Wish has brought so much joy to Lucy. They send her cards, they send her letters. It's just been so great to see her be so happy," said Farrar.
To date, Sunflowers for Wishes it has raised more than $1.9 million for the Make a Wish Foundation of Connecticut.
