The Make-a-Wish Foundation

The Make-a-Wish Foundation® Advocacy Project 2003-2004 Judit Saenz-Badillos, MD Advocacy Project I trained to become a wish giver volunteer for the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish foundation of PA. Objectives: To learn about the organization, how it works and how I can help. To meet with wish children and their families to help make their wishes come true. Mission To grant the wishes of children with life threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. The First Wish In 1980 a boy with Leukemia in Arizona dreamed of becoming a policemam. U.S. Customs Special Agent Tommy Austin and the Arizona Department of Public Safety decided to make his dream come true Chris was sworn in as an honorary patrolman and was given a custom-made uniform, helmet and badge. He was taken on a helicopter ride. Five days later the young State Trooper died. He was buried with his uniform and was given a police funeral with full honors. This experience inspired Special Agent Austin to continue making wishes come true for children and led to the rise of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Today  The largest wish granting organization in the world  Formal 501(c3) tax exempt org.  97,000 wishes granted to date!  25,000 volunteers  75 chapters, 5 continents: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium South Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica Denmark, France, Greece, Hong Kong India, Ireland, Israel, Japan Korea, Mexico New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Singapore Switzerland, Taipei, Taiwan, The Netherlands United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom Local Chapter  Web site: philadelphia.wish.org  Serves the 5 counties of Philadelphia, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks and Delaware 512 Township Line Road Five Valley Square¸ Suite 103 Blue Bell, PA 19422 Office Phone: (215) 654-9355 Office FAX: (215) 654-9346 Toll Free: (877) 663-9474  5 full time staff / 100 volunteers  191 wishes granted in ’02-’03 / 1,400+ wishes granted to date  Professionally run with Formal Board, Governance and Integrity Eligibility  Children between the ages of 2½ and 18 can be referred to the Foundation.  Wish children are referred from Parents, Guardians, Medical Practitioners, or Child themselves  The child's treating physician makes the final determination of whether a child's medical condition qualifies him or her for a wish.  Illness has to be life threatening, but not terminal.  Is independent of families income. Wishes  After referal the wish goes through a formal review/approval process  Wish Types:  I wish to go.. (Disney, Hawaii)  I wish to be.. (Fireman, Actor)  I wish to meet.. (Oprah Winfrey, Danny DiVito)  I wish to have.. (Computer, Hot-tub)  Average cost of Wish: $5K+ in-kind donations (air miles, limo rides, products, etc..)  Most requested wish: Disneyworld Enriching Life: Disney World  7 days, 6 nights at the Give Kids the World VillageIncludes breakfast, dinner and snaks.  30$ per person per day for expense money  Park tickets including: three day Disneyworld hopper pass, one day pass for Universal Park, one day pass for Sear World  Round trip airfare  Limousine transportation to and from Philadelphia Airport  Greeters at Orlando International Airport  Grownd trasportation to and from the parks or a rental car  50$ in Disney money for the wish child. Enriching Life “Andrew was diagnosed with brain cancer in early April and we have just completed radiation and are currently undergoing chemotherapy for treatment. Andrew has not eaten since the radiation began and has lost many pounds over the past few months.” “I think the very best part of the trip to Disney for us was Andrew began eating during our stay at the village! This is tremendous news for him and all of us were delighted to see such progress in a week. Perhaps a change of scenery was all we needed but it has made us all so happy to have him join us during mealtime and the color is coming back in his face.” Wish Giving Volunteers  Go through training to learn about policies, standards, wish granting steps, protocols and forms for the Make-A-Wish foundation.  Two volunteers are assigned to each local wish child.  They meet the family and interview the child.  Fill out the paper work with the information on the wish and send it to the local chapter.  With the help of the local chapter the volunteers then deliver the wish to the child. A Challenging Case  One of the children I met with was a 4 y.o hispanic female with cerebral palsy, mental retardation and seizures.  She was unable to verbalize her wish.  She requires 24 hour nursing care.  The family requested a trip to Disney World as the wish.  How do you determine if this would indeed be the wish of the child?  We met with the patient’s primary nurse, spoke with care takers at her school, family members…  The family will be going to Disney World this summer. The child’s nurse will be going with them. Do you want to help? Contact your local office if you are interested in: Wish granting Development and fund raising Special events Marketing, public relations, and advertising Translation services Medical outreach Web site design Do you want to give?  Giving to the Make-A-Wish Foundation is easy, and there are plenty of options. Donations can be received online or via mail. From monthly giving to tribute donations to workplace giving, generous people make the wishes of extraordinary children come true. In addition to money or in-kind services, you can also help by donating airline miles and hotel points.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation offers a variety of products, including apparel, calendars, holiday cards, and other accessories. Just go to their website: www.wish.org