The InterContinental Miami ballroom turned into a frozen Gilded Age fantasy Saturday night as the 31st Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball launched South Florida's charity season, drawing celebrities and philanthropists for an evening that ended with Kelly Clarkson performing some of her biggest hits for the crowd.
According to WSVN, this year's event carried a “crystal castle” theme designed to transport guests into a frozen fantasy inspired by the Gilded Age, with Shareef Malik and Gabrielle Anwar serving as ball co-chairs. The gala was held at the Finker-Frenkel Wish House, Hope, Strength & Joy Ballroom inside the InterContinental hotel in downtown Miami, the station reported in a separate piece covering the event.
A Tradition That Fuels Wishes Across South Florida
Last year's ball alone raised $3 million and funded 300 wishes for children across South Florida, the outlet's report noted. Make-A-Wish Southern Florida president and CEO Norman Wedderburn said the region's giving spirit goes beyond writing checks. “We have 700 plus volunteers,” he said, according to the same report, pointing to a philanthropic culture where people also give their time.
Over the past three decades, the chapter has granted more than 9,000 wishes to children facing critical illnesses and has raised more than $50 million with help from InterContinental Miami, per the station's report. Forbes has described the ball as often considered the official kickoff to Miami's social season; the event is typically held each November.
A Father's Story Behind the Fundraising
Among the attendees was Ryan Docobo, whose two children both had wishes granted by Make-A-Wish. He said the gala gives him a chance to share what those donations actually mean for children and families, and recalled how meaningful it was when his family traveled to North Carolina to honor his son Ethan and say goodbye, calling the trip deeply significant for them.
InterContinental Miami general manager Glenn Sampert said he and his team look forward to the event all year, underscoring the hotel's long partnership with the charity. 7News anchor Alex de Armas, who has served as a wish granter, said the experience lets her see firsthand how families are affected and allows her to support her own community.
Conflicting Milestones in the Chapter's History
Not every account of the chapter's history lines up neatly. A 2023 report from the New Pelican said the organization was preparing to grant its 14,000th wish to a 7-year-old named Kylyn, a figure that does not square with the more-than-9,000 total WSVN reported this year. The discrepancy between those two counts has not been explained in available reporting.
Fundraising totals have also shifted across different accounts of the InterContinental partnership. A 2025 Forbes article put the three-decade partnership total at more than $40 million, while this year's WSVN report cited more than $50 million — figures reported at different points in time rather than a single confirmed number.
Last Year's Ball Set a High Bar
The 30th anniversary ball, held November 1, 2025, embraced a Cleopatra theme inspired by the 1963 Elizabeth Taylor film and featured a three-course dinner expected to serve 900 guests, prepared by a team of more than 100 chefs and servers, according to Forbes. That night, Marc Anthony delivered a high-energy 45-minute set, and attendees helped raise over $3 million for the chapter, as reported by World Red Eye.
This year's Kelly Clarkson concert closed out a night meant to remind donors what their generosity buys: hope, smiles, and courage for children facing critical illnesses, as the mission is often described. With the ball behind them, Miami's social calendar now rolls into the rest of its charity season, carrying forward a three-decade partnership that organizers say keeps granting wishes one family at a time.
