“Kid’s wishes don’t wait for better economic times” according to pharma billionaire Stewart Rahr (Kinray, Inc.), the special honoree at the Make-A-Wish Metro NY 30th Anniversary Gala held at Cipriani Wall Street.

Stewart Rahr helped to make the night even more special by helping to raise an astonishing—and record-breaking—$3 mil. This fine organization has been granting wishes to children touched by life threatening illnesses for 30 years.

Of the 700 attendees, there were intentionally few celebrities invited apart from Stewart Rahr and his friend Russell Simmons. Instead, the night was “all about the kids” with a great many of the wish kids from the past three decades and their families present. It was a particularly touching evening for Rahr, who was delighted to be reunited with Robert Klein, whose wish Stewart granted 16 years ago. Rahr treasures the very special thank you card and photo that Robert, now a healthy young man, all grown-up, presented to him.

Rahr was named the largest wish granter in the world, with a personal pledge of $1 mil and another $400,000 as a result of a challenge to each table whereby he donated another $8,000 per table if every table contributed something for the children in honor of the 8,000th wish. To date, this brings Rahr’s total contribution to approximately $5 mil in wishes granted to the children.

In his remarks, Rahr noted: “It’s that incredible power and magic contained in each child’s heartfelt wish that has convinced me time and again that none of us can sit on the sidelines as long as there are still wishes to be granted, still children who need to know that there is a world beyond illness, where dreams still can come true.”

Rahr went on to say, “I love the Make-A-Wish cause, and the difference it makes for children and their families, and the difference it makes in my life as well.”

Rahr truly lives by his oft-repeated quote by Sir Winston Churchill “We make a living by what we get . . . but we make a life by what we give.” He then ended with, “I have always tried to believe that we all should cherish yesterday, dream for tomorrow but live for today.” And we are all the better for it.

Rahr is ranked #167 on Forbes World Billionaire List.