Backstreet Boys' Richardson Responds to Critics
The Backstreet Boys made headlines last week after the
group would not find the time to visit a 5-year-old-girl suffering from leukemia in Warren, Mich. The story was picked up nationally resulting in rather harsh criticism of the pop group in radio and
television reports. It also prompted the Backstreet Boys and The Rainbow Connection, who made the request on behalf of the ill child, to issue formal statements on the matter. Now that all parties
involved have had their say, it appears as though young Morgan Zalewski will be granted her backup wish by The Rainbow Connection, a trip to Disney World in Florida. Meanwhile, the Backstreet Boys were
recently honored as the 1999 Celebrity Wish Grantors of the Year by another organization that grants wishes to seriously ill children, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.
Group member Kevin Richardson talked about how personally important it is for him to be involved with organizations that grant wishes for terminally ill children. "We had a little girl come in from
Make-A-Wish Foundation and they said that she was going to come in dressed up as a little princess because she thought that we were her
princes," he said. "When she came in, she was just adorable. Stuff like that just really makes you thankful that you can make somebody
happy - make somebody forget about their problems, put a smile on people's faces." Richardson adds that he's accepted the fact that the
Backstreet Boys are not going to be able to please everybody. "Initially, it bothered me, but now I've accepted it and it's the
fact that you just can't please everybody," he said.
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