Mychal's Message, a nonprofit organization, will hold its ninth annual "Wish" event to raise funds to provide Christmas dinner and gifts for hundreds of Lancaster County children and their families. "Wish" is a two-hour, full-length, original Christmas musical, which will be presented on Sunday, Dec. 4, and Monday, Dec. 5, at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster. Dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m., and the show will start at 7 p.m.

Working in partnership with the Lancaster Families in Transition Office, local families are selected to receive a full-course Christmas dinner and gifts for their children. This year, 34 families were selected with a total of 94 children to benefit from "Wish." Each of those children was asked to list a few gifts he or she would like to receive on Christmas.

Shannon Lapp, who founded Mychal's Message at the age of 11 in 2002, purchases the gifts, which are then wrapped by cast members and delivered to the families along with the meal. This year's deliveries will take place on Saturday, Dec. 17, at McCaskey High School, Lancaster.

Funds to support the project are raised primarily through ticket sales for "Wish," which has taken place at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre every year since 2014, with nearly every show selling out. Alvina Kline, owner of Encore Dance Center, partners with Mychal's Message in offering rehearsal space every weekend from October through December at her studio in Lancaster.

A basket and giveaway drawing will be held this year to offset the rising costs of toys and meals, and many businesses in the community have donated items; these donors include Speckled Hen in Strasburg, Hot Z Pizza in Landisville, Bounce Kraze and Sweet Frog in Lancaster and Giant Food Stores. The Lancaster Red Rose Doll Club donated the money to purchase the 35 Barbie dolls requested by this year's children.

"Wish" is written, choreographed, and directed by a creative team that includes Lapp's siblings, Christopher and Erin Mary Lynch, and a family friend, Becca Bender, along with others who have helped choreograph this year's show - Kristen Zimmerman, a dance instructor at Encore Dance Center, and Leah Brighter, a cast member of "Wish." The show is performed entirely by volunteers from kindergarten students to recent college graduates. The cast's collective experience includes performances at American Music Theatre, Sight & Sound Theatre, the Fulton Theatre and the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre. This year's show includes tap-dancing elves, toys that come to life, a live Nativity and a message that exemplifies the importance of giving.

Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.dutchapple.com (search for "Wish") or by calling the box office at 717-898-1900. A limited number of tickets are available for those who plan to attend the show only.

Mychal's Message was founded in 2002 after the death of New York City Fire Department chaplain Mychal Judge in the twin towers on 9/11. Its mission is to encounter people who are homeless and poor while restoring dignity with love. Mychal's Message has distributed over a half million new items, including socks, coats, underwear, fleece blankets, sleeping mats, backpacks, personal-size toiletries and diapers. For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/FrMychalJudge or http://www.mychalsmessage.org.