(DeWitt, New York, Dec. 9, 2014) — The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York (IIABNY) and Trusted Choice have teamed up with Make-A-Wish this fall for fundraising events and to surprise a New York media celebrity with a special honor. Trusted Choice, the national consumer brand for independent insurance agencies, has been a partner of Make-A-Wish since 2011, raising more than $1 million.

On October 28 in New York City, IIABNY made a special presentation to keynote speaker Boomer Esiason at the first NYiDAY. A former pro football quarterback, current TV football analyst and radio sports program co-host, Esiason is the founder of the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which has raised more than $100 million for research to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. His son, Gunnar Esiason, suffers from the disease.

At the conclusion of Esiason’s address at NYiDAY, IIABNY Senior Vice-President Lisa Lounsbury announced that Trusted Choice, in partnership with Make-A-Wish, has agreed to grant a wish to a child with cystic fibrosis in Gunnar Esiason’s honor. The wish will be granted through the Metro and Western New York Make-A-Wish chapter.

Trusted Choice also sponsored Make-A-Wish “Walk For Wishes” events on Sept. 20 in Troy, New York; Sept. 28 in Suffolk County on Long Island; and Nov. 3 in Yorktown Heights in the Hudson Valley. The three events raised more than $100,000. Trusted Choice also sponsored the 10th Annual Charity Sports Auction, benefitting Make-A-Wish, at the men’s basketball game between St. John’s University and Syracuse University on December 6 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. That event was expected to raise in excess of $40,000.

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. Since its founding in 1980, it has granted 250,000 wishes to children in the U.S. and tens of thousands more around the world.