The United Auto Workers International Union and General Motors Corp. are launching a three-year, $9 million partnership with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.

The partnership is the largest commitment from a sponsor in the Make-A-Wish Foundation's history. The first of thousands of wishes funded by the partnership was granted recently as a 3-year-old Lupton, Mich., boy and his family was sent to Disney World in Orlando. The boy also will be treated to an exclusive look at the new GM Test Track ride at EPCOT Center.

"Encouraging people to pursue their dreams helps to build strong work places, communities and families, and that's important to the UAW," said Richard Shoemaker, UAW vice president and director of the unions' GM Department.

The UAW-GM financial support will come from the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, jointly operated by the two groups. The center develops and administers education, training and retraining programs. It has contributed more than $3 billion toward education and training since 1984.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted nearly 7,500 wishes in 1998 to children with life-threatening illnesses. Founded in 1980, it has granted more than 58,000 wishes in all.

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