Christianpalooza Creator is Finalist for Citizen of the Year Award

A Brookline woman’s efforts to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation are being recognized in a big way.

Maria Vondas is a finalist for Direct Energy’s Citizen of the Year Award. Her friends nominated her because of her work with Christianpalooza, an annual festival she created in memory of her son, Christian, to raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Vondas said she didn’t know anything about the nomination until she got a call from the organization notifying her she is one of five finalists.

“I was in shock. I had no idea,” she said. “I was just amazed that my friends were so kind to nominate me, and even more surprised that I was one of the five finalists.”

She won’t know if she won until March 30, the night of a recognition gala at Heinz History Center, but just being a finalist carries perks for the organizations the candidates support.

If Vondas does not win, she still will receive a percentage of ticket sales from the gala, which she plans to donate to the Make-a-Wish Foundation under the Christianpalooza name.

If she does win, the Make-a-Wish Foundation automatically receives $5,000 and Vondas would receive $1,000 for herself, which she said she would put toward running Christianpalooza.

“With the struggling economy, Make-a-Wish is also hurting, which makes it more difficult for children to get wishes like Christian did,” she said. “This will help them a little bit either way.”

Vondas’s own son, Christian, was a Make-a-Wish candidate. Because of the organization, her family traveled to Disney World one year after Christian was diagnosed with brain cancer. Vondas said she thinks about the trip all the time.

Recognition for Christianpalooza is bitter sweet, she said, because after all, it started with the loss of her oldest child. Christian died in 2011 at age 9.

But Vondas said she hopes the recognition will bring awareness to her cause and encourage more people to support Make-a-Wish and help children like Christian.

“I hate the reason why it started, but Christian was just so amazing and inspiring that I just had to do this in his honor,” she said. “I couldn’t think of a better way to memorialize him and give back to his favorite charity.”

She and her family already are planning the next Christianpalooza.

The fourth annual Christianpalooza is scheduled for Oct. 5 at Resurrection Church in Brookline. .

Each Make-A-Wish dream, on average, costs $3,900.

“The community involvement here is wonderful,” she said. “We’re lucky. We’ve had so much support from friends and family, businesses here, everyone in Brookline.”

To read more about Christianpalooza and the family's work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, click here.

Tickets to next Wednesday's gala are available to the public and can be purchsed at http://www.showclix.com/event/PittsburghVCOYGala. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated back to the semi-finalists.

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