“ I wish to meet the Cheetah Girls”Amber , age 7
If 7-year-old Amber’s favorite band, Disney’s Cheetah Girls, ever need an understudy, she’ll be ready to race in and do her part.
Amber and Kiely Williams (The Cheetah Girls’ Aqua) show off their moves.
Amber, who was diagnosed with leukemia, knows every word to every Cheetah Girls song and every step to every Cheetah Girls dance. She brightened her hospital stays by watching the “Cheetah Girls” movie and listening to the girl group’s music over and over. She even owns a Cheetah Girls outfit. So, when Amber wished to meet her idols, Disney made sure the wish hit all the right notes.
“The Cheetah Girls,” a Disney Channel original movie that debuted in August 2003, is the story of friends who form a band and eventually achieve their dream of making it big in the music scene. The film and its characters proved so popular that Disney released a sequel, “Cheetah Girls 2” in August 2006. Disney has been one of the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s biggest friends and supporters since the Foundation’s beginnings, granting more than 50,000 wishes to date.
With the help of wish granters from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia, Amber’s rockin’ wish began at a place known for making millions of wishes come true: the Disneyland® Resort. Upon her arrival, Amber knew – as her favorite band sings – “The Party’s Just Begun.”
Amber and her family received free tickets to the theme park and got to cheer the Cheetah Girls from VIP seats at their Disneyland concert. Not only did Amber receive celebrity treatment, she was seated next to real-life celebs: comedian Wayne Brady and actress Catherine Bach, who played Daisy Duke in the original “Dukes of Hazard” television series. Both Wayne and Catherine greeted Amber and added their autographs to her star-studded wish.
Amber, 7, flashes a wild smile with her favorite band, Disney’s Cheetah Girls.
Amber stood on her father’s shoulders during the concert to get the best possible view of her idols. She sang along with them and showed of her own dance moves for those sitting around her. When the concert was over, a royal dinner awaited Amber and her family at Ariel’s Grotto restaurant. Amber was joined by all the Disney Princesses for a hamburger feast, and each eagerly posed for pictures and signed autographs for Amber – the true princess of the day.
After dinner, the Cheetah Girls invited Amber to watch them film a taping of Disney Channel's "Disney 365," where they answered questions and told stories about the fun they had filming the new movie. Amber loved being right there to hear the inside scoop from the girls she idolized on TV.
After the Cheetah Girls finished their work day, it was time to play. Amber laughed her way through a flurry of photographs and autographs with the fabulous trio, and then it was off to take in the sights and sounds of the Disneyland theme park – even riding the Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue ride – with her famous new friends.
When Amber’s Disney day ended, she took home a bag full of autographed Cheetah Girls souvenirs, including the “Cheetah Girls 2” soundtrack, which had not yet been released in stores. Amber left the theme park with a huge smile, taking advice from another of her favorite Cheetah Girls songs, “Cherish the Moment.”
This page can be found at http://www.wish.org/stories/sports_entertainment/film_tv/amber_cheetah_girls
©2006 Make-A-Wish Foundation®
