His wish concluded

the following day at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon. There, Frankie

was named an honorary inductee before a small gathering of his friends

and family.

Several metro-area

professionals donated their respective talents and expertise to make Frankie's

"rise to stardom" as true to life as possible. For the past

several months, Frankie worked directly with a number of musicians to

record and produce "Eva." Throughout the process, John Hopkins

of local band Brighter Shade offered Frankie vocal coaching and gave him

a first-hand look at how music is made.

"Frankie

is a very talented young man with endless energy," Hopkins said.

"I've thoroughly enjoyed working on his wish. I anticipate 'big things'

from 'big Frankie' in the future."

To create the

CD itself, Whippoorwil Sound and Lakeside Productions provided studio

time for Frankie's recording sessions. Rodney Mills mastered the CD at

Rodney Mills Masterhouse, and ON4 Productions reproduced it for limited

distribution.

Frankie's "image

consultants," Atlanta-based international fashion show producer,

Van Pharr, and hair stylist, Pascal Sellem of Kells & Guernsey, conducted

his "star makeover." Barry Hundley and the staff at Brooks Brothers

in Lenox Square Mall outfitted the "young star" by providing

a personal stylist to each family member and a personal fitting for Frankie.

With the help

of Michelle Batts and Bianca Gibson at Perimeter Mall, Frankie received

more additions to his wardrobe from Children's Place. Local public relations

executive Stephanie Gordon of Moroch, Leo Burnett USA, served as Frankie's

"publicist" and offered him media training and interview priming.

Local schoolchildren

contributed to Frankie's wish by sending him "fan mail." Hundreds

of letters offering congratulations and encouragement came from area public

and private schools and will be delivered to Frankie's VIP hotel suite

at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, where he, his parents and his brother will

stay during his wish.

Sally Fox,

a second-grade teacher at The Children's School whose class wrote fan

mail, shared, "My class impressed me with their willingness to help

another child, and it shows in their letters. We talked about what their

wishes would be if they were in Frankie's shoes and that really helped

them put things in perspective. Above all, we had fun thinking of creative

kudos for Frankie."

Atlanta's corporate

community also played a vital role in making Frankie's wish come to fruition.

The local United Auto Workers-General Motors dealers are Frankie's official

wish sponsor, and Mader's Chevrolet is also providing two sport utility

vehicles as transportation for Frankie and his "entourage" during

his wish. Dozens of other metro-area companies made in-kind donations,

including Balloons Over Atlanta, Hard Rock Café, Honey Baked Ham,

Horse Town East, Jock's and Jill's, Kodak, and Westin Peachtree Plaza.

A professional

photo shoot provided by Suwanee-based Sports Section resulted in a myriad

of promotional materials including life-size cutouts, headshots, pins,

and posters, all of which will be utilized during Frankie's many "meet

and greet" sessions with his "fans" over the course of

his three-day wish experience.

"Each

of the almost 2,000 wishes our chapter has granted since its inception

in 1986 is unique in its own way," said Make-A-Wish CEO Diane Valek.

"One of the reasons why Frankie's is so special is because it integrated

the efforts of so many individuals and organizations in our community

and allowed them to experience the power of a wish firsthand."

When the scope

of Frankie's wish was shared with his father, he said in amazement, "If

you had told me all of this before, honestly, I would not have believed

you. We just never thought this was possible."

Frankie was

born Sept. 30, 1992, in Columbus and now resides in Sharpsburg. When Frankie

was two weeks old, he went into cardiac arrest and was promptly diagnosed

with a serious heart condition. This diagnosis was followed by a series

of heart surgeries.

A year after

his last surgery, three-year-old Frankie started performing country music

in his home. Kimberly Thatch, a Make-A-Wish recipient who performed in

Orlando, became an important musical inspiration to Frankie. He decided

that, like Kimberly, no medical condition could "keep him from the

spotlight."

Although he

continued to suffer from his life-threatening heart condition, he was

determined to maintain a practice schedule in order to one day perform

for an audience. After surgery to replace a valve in his heart, Frankie

performed "One Small Miracle" by Bryan White and dedicated his

first live performance to his doctors and family.

Currently a

fifth-grader at Canongate Elementary School, he is passionate about singing

and plans to build on his wish experience to sustain a long-term career

as a music performer. Frankie's pediatric cardiologist, Dr. David Jones,

referred him to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.www.wish.org .

The Georgia

and Alabama chapter is the result of a merger of three separate regional

chapters. As one of the fastest growing chapters in the country, it operates

on a budget of $3.5 million and is proud that 84 percent of all funds

are used for granting wishes to children. In 2002, the Chapter granted

over 350 wishes and expects to grant more than 400 in 2003 through the

commitment and dedication of the community and the work of board members,

trained volunteers, and administrative team throughout Georgia and Alabama.

For further

information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Georgia and Alabama, please

contact Paulette Lohman at 770-916-WISH (9474), extension 38 or visit

the Foundation's web site at www.wish.org/georgia .