Courtesy Photo Long paper chains hang over the bar at the Veterans of Foreign Wars club in Alpena. Paper chains are being linked together as part of a fundraiser to help make final wishes for children with terminal diseases come true. The statewide fundraising effort also aims to create a chain that will break the world’s record, which is 47 miles — or 2 million links — long.

ALPENA — Residents in Northeast Michigan have an opportunity to join an effort to earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records while helping grant final wishes to children who have terminal diseases.

The Golden Key charity grants last wishes for Michigan kids fighting cancer and other terminal illnesses and the group is raising money so it can include more children in its program.

The group’s latest fundraising effort is called the Dream On Campaign and aims to raise enough money to grant the wishes of 100 children.

The fundraiser is a statewide effort, and it’s beginning in Alpena.

Lisa Keck, president and founder of Golden Key, said the fundraiser seeks to not only raise money but also break a world record and allow people to share their wishes, dreams, and goals with the world.

Keck said that, when someone makes a donation of any size, they can fill out a strip of paper with their wish and then form that slip of paper into a chain link.

Her hope is that businesses, schools, churches, and other entities around the state can form long enough paper chains to break the current record, which is 47 miles long. Keck said that, to reach that distance, about 2 million links will have to be placed together.

“I wanted a way for the whole state to be involved, and I decided to try to break a record,” she said. “It is a yearlong project that is beginning in Northeast Michigan and then we will work throughout the rest of the state.”

Keck said chains have already been linked together in Alpena.

The Alpena Veterans of Foreign Wars building already has chains draped around the interior of its club and schools and other organizations will likely do the same in the coming week or so. On March 8, the chains and money from the donations can be dropped off at the Alpena Fire Department.

Keck said that, when a person puts a link together, she would like them to write one of their wishes or dreams on the link.

Local businesses are also asked to participate and be a sponsor. She said each sponsor can collect donations and create chains, but also will receive a promotional banner and its business name and logo will be placed on the Golden Key website.

Businesses can contact Keck at 313-363-8610 or goldenkeycamp@yahoo.com. More information on the fundraiser can also be found at goldenkeypark.org.

Keck said that, each year, her charity grants a wish for about 20 children, and her goal is to bump that number to 100.

She said that, as funding increases, the charity will be able to make the dreams of a dying child come true.

“It works kind of like Make-a-Wish, but, obviously, we don’t have the kind of funds to send a child and their family to Disney,” she said. “But, if a kid wants to be a firefighter, we can probably make that happen for a day.”