Imari, age 17

On Imari’s wish for a shopping spree, we headed out in the limo to our first destination, Best Buy, where we were greeted by the Best Buy team. They treated him like a king. They helped him with his purchase, a 42” LCD TV, and while we were at the store we got to check out the latest technology in 3D TVs! Everyone at Best Buy wanted to enhance Imari’s wish, so they threw in a sound system to make his gaming experience that much more amazing. In addition to giving him a bunch of balloons, they also gave him a bag of Best Buy swag such as a Jenga game and T-shirts. As we were saying goodbye to our new Best Buy friends, one of them decided to give Imari a 23” LCD monitor for his computer. The team member said that a customer had wanted to donate the monitor to someone who deserved it, and he thought Imari was the perfect person to receive this gift. The guys at Best Buy got Imari’s online gaming ID so they could play with him in the future. The limo got full right away as the TV took up a chunk of the space!

After that, we headed to the Del Amo Fashion Center to start the second part of the spree. Imari picked up some sneakers and other items from Footaction, Foot Locker and Sheikh Shoes. Footaction and Foot Locker were so kind as to give Imari a 15 percent and 25 percent discount, respectively. After visiting the shoe stores, we made a stop at Macy’s for some Polo clothes. Macy’s was also great and gave Imari a 25 percent discount on the spot! Then it was off to one more stop before heading to lunch. Imari made good use of his $400 gift card at GameStop and got a portable system, a game and some controllers so his friends could now play with him on his new TV.

When it was time for a break and some good food at BJ’s Restaurant, we were delighted to find that the entire meal was comped. Imari had a feast of Chicken Alfredo. After lunch, we made a pit stop and put the packages we had gathered in the limo before heading to Urban Outfitters. It was a good thing, as Urban Outfitters went above and beyond for Imari’s wish! Before he even started to shop, they had prepared six bags filled with all sorts of items for him. Imari was in shock! He went on to spend even more in the store and got more of the clothes and shoes that he was looking to get on the spree. In addition to a $200 gift card, a 25 percent discount and the six bags filled with gifts, Urban Outfitters volunteered to mail custom shoes and jeans to Imari’s house after the wish! The team made him feel so welcomed. This wish was the talk of the company; everyone was very excited.

After Urban Outfitters, we headed to Levi’s Jeans Store, where Imari got even more clothes. Levi’s was great and gave him a $100 gift card and a 30 percent discount on his purchases! Since it was getting late and we needed to head back home, we took Imari’s remaining $35 and purchased a gift card from H&M, which Imari received in addition to the $200 H&M gift card that was donated for his wish.

We headed back to Imari’s house exhausted and ready to unload the gifts. He and his whole family were extremely grateful for all that MAW has done and could not believe all that he received. It was a great day all around.

Submitted by Volunteer, Lauren