Make-A-Wish Foundation, park fulfill Florida boy’s dream
Gabriel Lawan-Ying, 8, of Florida achieved the title of “Honorary National Park Ranger” after a full day of work in Yosemite National Park earlier this week.
Gabriel has a life-threatening medical condition and dreamt of being a Yosemite National Park ranger. Working with Make-A-Wish Foundation, park staff put Gabriel to work throughout Tuesday performing a variety of duties of a park ranger.
Gabriel worked with the Yosemite fire crew to put out a wildland fire, went on a naturalist walk through Cook’s Meadow with a park ranger, worked on a search and rescue operation involving an injured hiker and assisted the Yosemite medical team in transporting the patient to a waiting helicopter.
Approximately 300 people, including Yosemite community members and several dozen of Yosemite’s park rangers, attended a ceremony in which Gabriel received his “Honorary Park Ranger” badge and credentials. U.S. magistrate judge Michael Seng and Yosemite National Park superintendent Don Neubacher presided over the ceremony in which Gabriel also received a wooden park ranger plaque and a flag that was flown over Yosemite Valley on Monday.