NBC Grants Parents Their Best Wish: A Great Example for Their Children
09.29.05

Amongst much of the typical TV sawdust being touted as "new" this fall, there is one shining star on the horizon: NBC's Three Wishes, hosted by Amy Grant. Not only is the program emotionally engaging, it teaches young audiences some important concepts: You can do good things with more than just money.

The program is the best example yet of the positive potential of reality TV. Amy and the crew descend on a different town each week and see what good they can leave behind. On last Friday's show, the local high school football field received a major facelift (we're talking around a million dollars worth of "facelift"), a boy was able to give his stepfather an incredible surprise, and a young victim of a horrific car accident received facial reconstruction surgery and rehabilitation support her parents could never have afforded.

But even more impressive is how the producers of this show made this happen. Certainly NBC is footing part of the bill, but many other private stakeholders are asked to do their share.

For instance, the football field needed a complete new turf to replace the muddy swamp they were currently playing in. The wish originated from the cheerleaders and their coach, a dedicated woman who is suffering with leukemia. The bill would come to close to $1 million--a sum beyond the high school's budget. To make the wish happen, a Canadian company called FieldTurf agreed to donate the job after seeing the videotaped interview of the cheerleader's coach.

The young boy's wish for his stepfather was to replace the pickup truck which was sold to help pay for mounting family expenses. Bobby's father died when he was six, but now his family is complete after Tim, who works as a local deputy sheriff, married his mom. With a new truck donated from Ford, the wish was almost complete. Not only did Bobby want his stepdad to have a truck all his own, he also wanted the adoption they had been working on, to be completed. With Amy Grant coaxing the local judge to make it happen, father and son became official companions.

The third wish saw an incredible outpouring of community spirit, with many people, and a local construction company, helping to build a special facility for the young car accident victim, Abby, where she can do special swimming exercises to help her rehabilitate. An entertainment event and carnival was also organized and hosted by Amy Grant and the show's staff, allowing thousands more dollars to be raised to help pay for medical bills.

These unique methods of "getting the job done" is what makes Three Wishes an even better experience than if the money magically "fell from the sky." For parents, the program is a great example to show young people how great things can be accomplished. It promotes cooperation, leadership, and doing good things in your community, and illustrates how unique ideas and effort are even more important than money.

After viewing the program, I recalled a story at our local high school a few years ago. A blind young man had a special device he used to speak and read with. When a couple of inconsiderate students dropped the unit into a bathroom urinal, the family didn't know how they would replace it.

That's when some other students stepped in and began a series of fundraising opportunities. Within a couple of weeks, more than enough was raised to replace the destroyed machine.

I know these stories happen in cities and towns around the country, but quality programs like Three Wishes provide a weekly reminder of how we can all be leaders for great causes. I'm looking forward to next Friday night to see what the next wishes will be... and this time I'll have some tissues to handle the emotions!

Besides writing this column for the Parents Television Council, Rod Gustafson authors Parent Previews® - a newspaper and Internet column (published in association with movies.com) that reviews movies from a parent's perspective. He's also the film critic for a major Canadian TV station, various radio stations and serves on the executive of the Alberta Association for Media Awareness. Finally, his most important role is being the father to four wonderful children and husband to his beautiful wife (and co-worker) Donna.

Parenting and the Media by Rod Gustafson

The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org

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