Enrique and Rayna Loza have long known that a sensory garden would be something their 15-year-old son Henry would enjoy. Thanks to a huge team effort by Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire and BrightView Design Group and Landscaping, that dream was fulfilled on Dec. 16 in the backyard of their San Jacinto home.
Rayna said the Make-A-Wish request was made when the family realized that Henry needed additional space around the house to enjoy. Representatives from the local Make-A-Wish chapter, including President and CEO Gloria Crockett, were joined by BrightView employees to help celebrate the wish unveiling that took a few days to install but was years in the planning.
“I submitted the application just before the pandemic and regrettably, the pandemic put a hold on Henry’s wish,” Rayna said. “Our home is Henry’s world so this is now another place he can enjoy. Unfortunately, Enrique’s attempt to construct a pond was unsuccessful as maintaining it costs money and it wasn’t in our budget. Due to the fact that only one parent can work while caring for a child with special needs, the household income is affected.”
The Loza family, which includes Henry’s sisters Starr, 19, Sky, 12 and Sunshine, 11, moved to San Jacinto in 2010. They heard about Make-A-Wish through a friend whose son had benefitted from the nonprofit.
“Henry and his family met with Make-A-Wish volunteers virtually and discovered Henry’s wish to have a sensory garden in December of 2020,” Crockett said. “From there, our team worked to find landscapers and design companies to bring Henry’s dream to life. When Mark Carlos joined our Board of Directors in October of 2021 and heard about Henry’s wish, he stepped right up to help. In February of 2022, Mark Carlos and BrightView Design Group provided the design and material list. BrightView Landscaping brought the design to life in just three days in Henry’s backyard.”
Henry, 15, has cerebral palsy and his cognitive development has remained at an infant’s stage due to a lack of oxygen to his brain during delivery. His mother said he also is legally blind and doesn’t walk or speak, consumes all food through a G-tube and not by mouth and uses a trach to aid with his breathing.
“I am passionate about giving back to children who are experiencing unforeseen health challenges,” Crockett said. “Our mission is to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. In many cases, the allure of a wish experience is a source of inspiration for children undergoing difficult medical treatments and a positive force that helps them overcome obstacles.”
Crockett said funding to fulfill wishes comes from individual donors, corporations and foundations. In the case of Henry’s sensory garden, it was a combination. When Carlos was voted onto the nonprofit’s board, his goal was to impact Make-A-Wish families’ lives by using his professional and personal network to help with granting wishes and making a difference. He has been a landscape architect at BrightView Design Group for 25 years.
“The Mission Delivery Committee brought to my attention that Henry’s family had been waiting for some time to get this wish granted and the pandemic had also made it difficult to get this wish moving,” Carlos said. “I knew BrightView would be a perfect match as it had to do with the backyard landscape at the child’s home. I knew BrightView Design Group could prepare the vision for the garden and that our BrightView Landscape Services team was looking for an opportunity to give back to the community. This was a perfect fit for us as a company but more importantly our culture.”
There were specific needs that were part of the request to make this a sensory garden and Carlos said they knew that the choice of plant materials would be important to stimulate the senses. The design process began in February.
“Texture and scent were important factors as the plant material was being selected,” he said. “We also knew that the buzzing of birds and insects would play a role during the flowering season of this material.”
Along with raised plant beds, at a height that Henry could reach from his reclining wheelchair, the group added a solar-powered water fountain, chimes and a sensory wall that includes different sounds and textures. Everything Brightview provided was in-kind.
“Our design team knew that amenities that could stimulate the senses would also play an important role,” Carlos said. “The use of these would all be important elements that Henry would take comfort in hearing and touching when he was in the space.”
He said the best part of the unveiling was watching the Loza family’s faces as they saw the space for the first time.
“The highlight for me is always the ability to impact a family’s life for the better,” Carlos said. “Together, Make-A-Wish and BrightView delivered. I’m proud of both teams but was most proud of the BrightView team as we worked together as a company to create a space for Henry and his family that will be cherished daily.”
BrightView is a nationwide company, with 290-plus locations in 34 states and Steve Pratt, branch manager of the Murrieta location, was involved with Henry’s wish fulfillment. While the company’s primary markets are commercial in nature, such as business parks, golf courses, resorts and more, the company has worked with Make-A-Wish in the past across the country.
“I took the lead in coordinating the installation so that we could make the conceptual design a reality,” Pratt said. “This started with an onsite meeting with Make-A-Wish and the family to review the design and get their approval for installation. Then we sourced all of the materials and assigned managers with various tasks to complete during an established schedule. Most of this project was completed by our management staff and we did get assistance from our Riverside and Fontana branches. All costs associated with this project were covered by BrightView.”
Katelynn McDougall Leguizamo has been part of Make-A-Wish OCIE for about a year and said she has been lucky to be part of eight unique and magical wish reveals during that time. The local chapter has about 470 volunteers, a staff of 24, 22 board members and “countless community members and corporate partners who support wishes in our local communities.”
Vice President of Mission Delivery Melissa Gallagher said this was a wish that was very special. “In nine years, I have participated in tons of wishes. One thing that stands out to me with Henry’s wish is that when we grant a wish for a child that is nonverbal, he wasn’t able to tell us what his wish was, but when you see the pure joy of him being with his family in his new sensory garden there is nothing like it. I will cherish Henry’s smile on his wish day.”
She said the nonprofit had been looking for a landscaping company to assist with this project for quite some time and were grateful to have BrightView agree to take on the project.
“BrightView was amazing from the start,” Gallagher said. “They understood that this was a wish that was very special and would bring so much happiness to Henry. They made sure that the family’s vision was accomplished.”
The entire Loza family will benefit from Henry’s wish as it will expand his world while enriching the lives of others.
“We now have additional space where we can all spend quality time with Henry, thanks to his sensory garden,” Rayna said. “Additionally, sensory gardens aid with mood, cognition, health and physical fitness. Children’s gross and fine motor skills are developed through gardening and plant care. The children’s general physical health is greatly benefited by spending time outdoors, with clean air and sunlight.”
Crockett said, “We granted an amazing 247 wishes in fiscal year 2022. But we need the communities’ help to ensure that wishes like Henry’s don’t wait. Right now, we are in need of volunteers in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and especially those that speak Spanish.” To learn how to get involved, visit wish.org/ocie/volunteer.
She said that through the end of 2023, Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire is celebrating 40 years of granting wishes to children with critical illnesses by bringing the community together to inspire hope within the three counties it serves, with various activation opportunities.
“Our plan includes wish-inspired murals in the place that most people and families need it most, within their local community,” Crockett said. “These murals will be created and inspired by our wish kiddos, families, volunteers, donors and partners. The aim is to bring awareness to the over 500 wishes waiting on funding to be granted while also celebrating the over 7,700 wishes we have granted these past 40 years.”
For more information, www.wish.org/ocie.
