Charities and Donations

Make-a-Wish Foundation

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.

It is the largest wish-granting organization in the world. It exists for one purpose: to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. The Make-A-Wish Foundation has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. The Foundation's mission reflects the life-changing impact that a Make-A-Wish® experience has on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors, and entire communities. Born in 1980 when a group of caring individuals helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation has blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon, granting more than 132,000 wishes to children in the United States alone. Although it has become one of the world's most well-known charities, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has maintained the grassroots fulfillment of its mission. A network of more than 25,000 volunteers enables the Foundation to serve children with life-threatening medical conditions. Volunteers work as wish granters, fund raisers, special events assistants, and in numerous other capacities. The Make-A-Wish Foundation is funded primarily through corporate and private donations. 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 generous donors and supporters, no child who qualifies for a wish has ever been turned away or put on a waiting list for financial reasons. Referrals for wishes come from parents or guardians, from members of the medical community, and from the children themselves. When a wish team first visits a child, the volunteers ask one simple question: "If you could have one wish, what would it be?" Wishes usually fall into one of four categories: "I wish to go..," "I wish to meet..," "I wish to be..." or "I wish to have..." The fulfillment of a wish creates a magical moment at a time that can be very difficult for a child and his or her family. Every effort is made to include the immediate family in the child's wish because watching a dream come true creates hope, strength, and joy for everyone involved in the wish experience.

3550 North Central Avenue
Suite 300
Phoenix, AZ 85012-2105
Phone: (602) 279-9474
Fax: (602) 279-0855

website: www.wish.org