MONROE — The spires are the first thing that come into view over the horizon, then the columns and ramparts, as if this fairy tale castle simply rose from the ground in the woodlands of southern Middlesex County.
And in a way it did, just as a charity’s dream was transformed into the granting of ailing children’s wishes. Today, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey will open the "wishing place," a 20,000-foot castle of soothing blue and gray with white accents, set on 14 acres of donated land on Perrineville Road in Monroe.
"We pick up where science and medicine leave off," said Thomas Weatherall, president and CEO of the foundation. "This is a game changer for us. This will allow us not only to stimulate a child’s imagination, but to also engage the community."
Each year the foundation provides wishes to about 450 children, ages 2 and a half to 18, who are facing serious and life-threatening illnesses.
Begun in Elizabeth in 1983, and operating in recent years in Union Township, Union County, staff members and volunteers have often met with children in their homes and hospital rooms.
Now children can be brought to the castle, which is designed help them imagine a life beyond hospital stays and medical treatment.
Among the decorative touches are the entrance hall’s simulated stained-glass windows, including one depicting a richly attired princess who is bald, similar to children being treated for cancer.
On the castle’s second floor is a wishing room, where a "magic crystal" is taken from a cabinet during a ceremony and placed before a child. The child wishes upon the crystal and has his or her request fulfilled.
The foundation said the state chapter is the only one nationally or internationally to build a castle.
Today, 50 children served by the foundation with be present with their family members and many of the private donors who contributed the $7 million cost of the building. It took eight years of planning and development and 16 months of construction to build the castle.
The formal name is the Samuel & Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place, named for the parents of donor Joseph Plumeri. As chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings insurance brokerage, Plumeri made the single largest contribution of $3 million. Developer Jack Morris donated the property.
Attending today’s 1:30 p.m. opening — with a parade and trumpeters lining the front balcony — will be Nicolas Fuca, 16, of Parsippany, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and who requested, and this year received a wheelchair-accessible sidecar for his dad’s motorcycle.
Also in attendance will be Victor Fabregas, now 16, from Eatontown, who has ulcerative colitis. He received his wish in 2007, when at age 12 he filmed a public service announcement about his diagnosis.
While a trip to Disney World is the most popular request, the foundation has also fulfilled children’s wishes to meet celebrities, such as Bruce Springsteen, and to experience their dream jobs, such as running a zoo.
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