When Orlando Ashford, the Chief People Officer of Fanatics, a leading global digital sports platform, got the call from CEO Michael Rubin to share his personal opportunity to grant a Make-A-Wish child their wish, he had a feeling where the call would lead.
"There was a lull," Ashford told Fox Business Digital about his conversation with Rubin. "Then, ‘We should do more of those.’ And I was prepared for that. ‘We should call Make-A-Wish and we should do all the sports-related wishes because we should do those bigger and better and faster because of who we are and the relationships we have.’"
That is exactly what was happening on Tuesday, as this first-of-its-kinds partnership will have Fanatics become the wish-granting organization’s "Official Sports Partner." So, all sports-related wishes in the United States and Canada will be granted under the co-brand Fanatics Make-A-Wish.
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"We just pitched them and it was basically, ‘We love what you’re doing, we want to help accelerate what you’re doing, we want to amplify what you’re doing. And we feel like we’re uniquely positioned to do that because we’re Fanatics, because of the relationships we have with these athletes and these leagues and we want to partner with you on all of your sports-related wishes.’ They literally pretty much said yes on the spot," Ashford explained.
Ashford added that the partnership was "organic" in how it came to be, and Make-A-Wish CEO Leslie Motter, who has been with the organization for the past decade as of this month, reiterated how smoothly this partnership worked out.
"It was a call you always hope you’ll receive and are so thrilled when you get it. We have a relationship with Fanatics. One of our chapters, the Central and Northern Florida chapter, had for years been working with Fanatics and had wonderful relationships.
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"This is just the beginning. Tuesday we officially announce the launch of our partnership, and hundreds and hundreds of kids are going to benefit in the future as a result of this amazing relationship."
As Motter put it, the partnership begins in typical Fanatics fashion as Tom Brady, Aaron Judge and Jayson Tatum are all surprising nine Make-A-Wish kids who will have their wishes granted by meeting the respective favorite athletes.
The event will take place at Barclays Center to show just the start of how Fanatics and Make-A-Wish are committed to enriching and amplifying these sports-related wishes.
Ashford divulged on that moment where Rubin knew he had to do more with Make-A-Wish. He had the opportunity to grant the wish of a young man named Beau, who was a big 76ers fan.
Ashford explained how Rubin told Beau the team was going to win for him the night they went to a game, but despite losing their matchup, Rubin was still able to give the child an experience of a lifetime. Beau interacted with the Sixers players after the game and had the time of his life.
Ashford had his own experience with a young man named Quan, who was a huge Russell Wilson fan. Quan was invited to the Denver Broncos facility to meet Wilson and his teammates, while also going to a game.
There was also bringing five kids to the MLB All-Star Game in Seattle this year, when they interacted with players on the field as well as developed bonds between themselves – friendships that would last forever.
Those experiences, Ashford said, gave him a new perspective on what kind of work Make-A-Wish is doing.
"I’ve been blessed," Ashford explained. "I have my own two children and I’m fortunate that they’re both big, strong, and healthy, and we all have our personal tale and challenges. But some of these people have extra challenges, and they’ve had them early.
"The research shows that the boost they get from these experiences gives them more energy, gives them more vigor to fight and live longer. If we can take some of the things we do and enable that, that’s great. To feel it up close, it's just as rewarding for those of us that are helping create these moments as it is for the young people receiving them."
Motter has obviously been to her fair share of wishes being granted, and she said it never gets old.
"Every single family I get to interact with, they’re all on their unique journey," she said. "To get to here, what it means to their family is truly inspirational for all of us. It’s why we do everything we do every single day, to have the opportunity to bring hope, strength and joy to a family that is going through this challenging time together.
"The joy on their faces when they get to meet their favorite athlete, when they get to participate in learning new skills with the team they always wanted to. Whatever the wish is, it’s truly inspirational."
Fanatics will also be making an initial $10 million contribution and will provide Make-A-Wish with additional resources, which includes merchandise and production costs for external storytelling efforts.
Motter said Fanatics truly went "bigger, and bigger, and bigger" during their presentation to Make-A-Wish in New York, and it shows her and the rest of the organization just what kind of people are behind the business.
"I think it speaks volumes, just the fact that they reached out to us," Motter said.
Ashford, who mentioned coming out of retirement to join Fanatics because of what Rubin was building, says this partnership is not just felt from the top. It is a company-wide journey that all employees at Fanatics – a group that has seen Rubin & Co. give back to numerous communities across the country – will feel happy to be a part of.
"One of the side benefits of this as the Chief People Officer is there’s energy that gets transferred to your employees. So it creates some employee engagement opportunities to participate in delivering some of these wishes and seeing some of the impact you have on parents and some of the young people we’ve touched," Ashford said. "You feel good about the company you work for in addition to all the cool things we do for athletes and leagues and fans."
That journey starts off with a bang as three of the biggest athletes on the planet will change lives forever in Brooklyn.
