A Jesuit High School senior is planning what is being billed as the “biggest graduation party ever” with the help of seniors from other high schools in DFW. NBC 5’s Noelle Walker reports the party at Gilley’s in May isn’t all for them, it’s to help make the wishes of others come true.
"The Graduation Party" at Gilley's Dallas on May 9 is being billed as "the biggest graduation party ever."
Thomas Owen is getting ready to graduate from Jesuit College Preparatory School this spring. He wanted to hold a graduation party, but make it more meaningful than celebrating his accomplishment. So Owen is planning what's being called "the biggest graduation party ever" to benefit Make-A-Wish North Texas.
Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are
WATCH HERE"No one was gonna tell me to do it, so I just had to go out and do it," Owen said. Owen serves on the Make-A-Wish North Texas Youth Leadership Council.
Owen solicited the help of seniors from other schools in DFW to help organize the party and concert event at Gilley's Dallas. The organizing committee includes seniors Reese Zilmer from Marcus High School, Lindsey McMahon from Woodrow Wilson High School, and Willie Smith from Plano West Senior High School.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning with NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP "It doesn't always need to be about yourself. You can have those moments, but you can give back to others as well," Smith said. "I just like that he's bringing everyone together to have a great time and to raise money for Make-A-Wish."
Organizers are hoping to sell more than 3,000 tickets and raise $50,000 for Make-A-Wish.
"If there's any way I can use entrepreneurial skills and my skills to be a light in someone else's life, even if it's just one person that I'm making a difference in, then I've done my job," Owen said.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"To hear a high school student say I'm gonna invest my time and my efforts into something that's not just about themselves, but is about making the world a little bit of a better place, tells me we're gonna be ok," Make-A-Wish North Texas President/CEO Kim Elenez said. "So I look at Thomas and say, you are a Wish Maker, and you are making thousands of other people Wish Makers in the process of bringing them together!"
April is World Wish Month. The money Owens is raising through The Graduation Party will help make an impact on the 151 travel wishes that Make-A-Wish North Texas currently has waiting.
"If there's one takeaway that I can give to everyone my age, it's that your age is not a restriction, it's your greatest asset. It's one of those things that you have the time, and creativity, and the flexibility to make something good," Owen said. "You have to be the person who goes out and makes a difference in the world."
The Graduation Party at Gilley's Dallas is May 9 and features a concert by Ty Myers. It's open to all high schools. Tickets are available through Nightly.
