Make-A-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is one of several foundations that grants wishes to children with life-threatening conditions. It is a nonprofit organization that brightens the lives of gravely ill children by fulfilling their wishes to go, be, meet, or have whatever they have wished for. The largest wish-granting organization in the world, the foundation has helped over 148,000 children by funding vacations, career explorations, celebrity interactions, and gifts, among other wishes. Founded in 1980, it operates 69 chapters in the United States and its territories and runs a global affiliate called Make-A-Wish International.

The foundation is an outgrowth of the Chris Greicius Make-A-Wish Memorial, the fund established in memory of a terminally ill boy who received his wish to become a police officer after being named an honorary member of the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Greicius's mother, Linda Bergendahl-Pauling, and two police officers who were active in this initial wish granting effort, Frank Shankwitz and Scott Stahl, along with Kathy McMorris and Allan Schmidt, cofounded the Memorial and spearheaded its transformation into the foundation.

When granting wishes, the foundation uses a four-step process. First, the candidate is referred by a medical professional, parent, or legal guardian, or is self-nominated. Candidates must be between the ages of 2 and a half and 18 years old in order to be eligible for a wish. Second, the severity of the child's condition is assessed to determine if it is sufficiently life threatening. Potential wish children must have a degenerative, progressive, or malignant medical condition but it need not be terminal. Third, one of the foundation's 25,000 volunteers is deployed to assist the child in developing a wish. These volunteers help wish children search their imaginations for something that will bring them happiness. Finally, the child's wish is implemented. Though many wish children are “terminal” or “dying,” the foundation does not use these words in its interactions and actively de-emphasizes the mention of illness and clinical treatments.

The philosophy of the foundation is to better the human experience by bringing strength, hope, and joy to wish children, their families, and their supporters. It enacts this philosophy by providing wish children and their families with a temporary retreat from the harsh realities of serious illness and by involving donors, communities, volunteers, and sponsors in these life-changing efforts.

Funding, Supporters, and Operations

Make-A-Wish covers all expenses associated with the granting of a wish, including those tied to family member participation. With more than 78#x0025; of every donated dollar devoted to wish granting, the majority of the foundation's incoming funds are directly applied to these altruistic expenditures. This proportion of charitable pass-through is above the threshold set by the Council of Better Business Bureaus' Wise Giving Alliance, indicating [Page 684]that the foundation exceeds this watchdog organization's program service standards. On average, a wish costs $6,450 and is granted without regard to socioeconomic status, race, or gender. These funds are often devoted to one of the following wishes: visiting a Disney theme park (41.5#x0025;), traveling (19.3#x0025;), going on a shopping spree (10.9#x0025;), receiving a new computer/electronics (8.7#x0025;), and interacting with a celebrity (6.1#x0025;). Make-A-Wish estimates that it grants a wish every 41 minutes.

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