Wishes Do Come True, Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation

Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
Monday, 1 January 2001

PHOENIX (2001) — Ten-year-old Raquel wanted to swim with the dolphins. Eleven-year-old Billy wanted to be a fighter pilot. And 10-year-old Ebony wanted to meet her favorite singer, Whitney Houston.

For these children with life-threatening illnesses, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has added a wealth of memories to each of their lives and given them the hope of a brighter tomorrow.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. It is the largest wish-granting organization in the world, with 80 chapters in the United States and its territories. Through private donations and the efforts of more than 20,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 83,000 wishes since being founded in 1980. The Make-A-Wish Foundation also has 22 international affiliates which have granted more than 10,000 wishes.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation was inspired in 1980 by the wish of a young Phoenix boy with leukemia. Chris dreamed of becoming a police officer for a day, and that wish came true for him with the love of friends and relatives.

Officers in the Arizona Department of Public Safety adopted the 7-year-old boy for a day and swore him in as the first and only honorary officer in Arizona state history – complete with a custom-made uniform, helmet, personal badge, and even a ride in a police helicopter.

Inspired by the joy of fulfilling Chris' wish, two of his fellow officers and his mother turned Chris' experience into a way to help other children with life-threatening illnesses by founding the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Requests for wishes come from parents or guardians, members of the medical community and from children themselves. While the special memories of a wish experience cannot be measured in dollars and cents, it can cost thousands of dollars to grant each wish. Yet, thanks to all our donors, no child who qualified for a wish has ever been turned away or put on a waiting list for financial reasons.

Children are asked one simple question when they are visited by members of a wish team,"If you could have anything in the world, what would it be?" Answers are only limited by the child's imagination and usually fall into one of four categories: "I want to have ...;" "I want to be …;" "I want to meet …;" and "I want to go to …".

"Whether their wish is to visit a theme park, meet their favorite celebrity, go on a dream vacation or have just the right puppy to cuddle, each child's wish is our command," said Paula Van Ness, president and CEO of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. "There is nothing like the magic of a wish."

For more information, or to contact Make-A-Wish Foundation of America, see their website at: www.wish.org