Coweta County

resident Frankie Pickard, a fifth-grader at Cannongate Elementary School,

made a wish that came true with help from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

His wish was to become a country music star and Make-A-Wish gave him a

CD release party at the Hard Rock Cafe and a chance to perform in front

of fans.

On Saturday

night, he gets another chance to perform. This time it will be before

the sold-out audience at the Villages Amphitheater in Fayetteville before

country legend Glen Campbell takes the stage.

Frankie went

into cardiac arrest two weeks after he was born. Since then he has had

several surgeries, including a valve replacement surgery. He is supposed

to have the valves replaced every five years but may be able to avoid

that surgery this year because of how well he is doing.

And he is doing

well. Frankie is an energetic child with a sense of humor that lights

up a room. He enjoys math, skateboarding, playing basketball and wrestling

with his brother, Scotty.

His biggest

passion though is, and always has been, country music. His favorite artists

are Joe Nichols, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride and, especially Rascal

Flatts. His bedroom is full of pictures of all of those artists and one

of his prized possessions is a shirt that has been autographed by a number

of country stars. He is hoping to get Glen Campbell to sign the shirt

on Saturday.

"He was

just awestruck when he got backstage at the concert and met some of the

guys from Rascal Flatts," said Frankie's mom, Martha. "His jaw

just about hit the floor."

Frankie began

singing for his family since the age of three, though he admits that all

he knew at that time was Barney songs. Despite a life threatening condition,

he has practiced regularly to one day perform before a crowd. Frankie

got that chance in the end of June when he performed his original song,

"Eva," written about his girlfriend, before a crowd of children

and their families from Children's Healthcare from Atlanta, where Frankie

was once a patient himself.

The day before

his performance included a CD release party for his debut CD, "Open

Heart With a County Beat," which featured the song Frankie wrote

with the help of John Hopkins and Kimbie Bone. Hundreds of Make-A-Wish

supporters were in attendance as members of the papparazzi, bodyguards

and adoring fans. After the release party and his performance, Frankie

was named an honorary inductee to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and also

received the Phoenix Award from Mayor Shirley Jackson. Coweta County also

proclaimed June 20 to be "Frankie Pickard Day."

"Frankie's

wish is one of the most unique wishes we have worked on," said Michelle

Wisch, chief operating officer of Make-A-Wish. The foundation partnered

with several local professionals, organizations, and corporations to make

Frankie's "rise to stardom" as true to life as possible. The

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

wish sponsor, and South Towne Motors provided two Cadillac Escalades to

transport Frankie and his "entourage" during his wish. He was

given image consulting, media training, a complete "star makeover",

and vocal coaching. Frankie's "fan mail," sent from hundreds

of Atlanta schoolchildren, was delivered to his VIP hotel suite. A professional

photo shoot resulted in a myriad of promotional materials including life-size

cutouts, headshots, pins, and posters, all of which were utilized during

Frankie's many "meet and greet" sessions with his "fans."

Frankie has

been inspired by having his wish granted by Make-A-Wish and is currently

raising money to sponsor a child's wish himself. He has put all of his

birthday money with the money he has raised and has accumulated $470 so

far. He also plans to build on his wish experience and have a long-term

career as a musician. He can play a little piano and is learning the guitar,

but he really loves singing. The audience at Saturday's Glen Campbell

show will get to see just how much he loves it when he performs a cover

of Martina McBride's "Concrete Angel" and then his song, "Eva."

With Frankie's

passion and dedication to his singing, it appears he is well on his way

to making his wish become a reality.