I’ve been a volunteer with the Make A Wish Foundation for a year and a half. I’ve granted a few wishes for kids… and they are life changing. You may not think a trip to Disney World is that big of a deal, but for a wish child and his or her family, it is. (Not to mention, their trips are not like yours. They get the red carpet rolled out… times ten!)
If you want to see an example of why wishes aren’t just nice, but necessary – watch this story I covered about a Make A Wish reunion 25 years in the making. (You may need tissues.)
I’m emceeing “Walk for Wishes” in Miami at Jungle Island on the morning of May 3rd. The point of this 5K: To turn your steps into wishes. I have created a team named “Miles of Smiles” – cute, huh? If you are in the area and want to walk or run, please join my team. If you are unable to make it, please donate. Any little bit helps. Why should you help?
- 98% of parents feel the wish experience gives them the opportunity to be a “normal” family again.
- 89% of doctors, nurses and health professionals surveyed say they believe a wish experience can influence wish kids’ physical health.
Other facts:
- Make A Wish grants a wish, on average, every 38 minutes. In South Florida, where I volunteer, it’s every 16 hours. (That’s more than 500 a year.)
- To qualify for a wish, a child with a life-threatening medical condition must be older than 2 1/2 years old and younger than 18 (at the time of referral) and must not have received a wish from another wish-granting organization.
- Make A Wish has more than 25,000 active volunteers in the United States.
- Make A Wish needs 2.5 billion frequent flier miles to meet all the travel needs for wish kids and their families. (Yes, you can donate those too.) Nearly 70% of wish experiences involve travel.
- The Walt Disney Company is involved in 40% of the wishes Make A Wish grants.
- In South Florida, the average cost of a wish is $5,000.
