Why Make-A-Wish Foundation Deserves Your Charitable Donations

Author's Note: Recently, the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted the wish of our young neighbor, suffering from Leukemia at six years old and facing a Bone Marrow Transplant this winter. Her wish was to go to Disney World, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation promptly stepped up to make it a reality.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is truly a stellar charitable foundation, deserving of your consideration as you make your New Year's resolutions and choices for charitable contributions this year.

The mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to grant wishes to children between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 years old with life-threatening medical conditions. A child's medical condition does not have to be diagnosed as terminal in order for a child to be eligible for a Make-A-Wish gift. At Make-A-Wish, the goal is to "...grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy." (www.wish.org).

In order to receive a wish granting from Make-A-Wish, a child must be referred to the foundation. Referrals may come from family members, private citizens, or the child's doctor or medical care staff, and can be made through the national Make-A-Wish Foundation website or through a local Make-A-Wish Foundation chapter. Due to the often fragile state of the child's medical condition, the recipient's doctor will be contacted for final approval before a wish is granted.

There is never a cost to the family of a child receiving a wish granted through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Foundation is careful to cover every detail and expense, so that the child and their family can enjoy this one experience free from financial concerns. When a child is stricken with a life-threatening medical condition, medical costs, co-payments, medications, and expenses incurred through travel to numerous doctor's visits and hospitalizations can quickly place a financial strain on even very financially well-off families. In many cases, one or both parents struggle with work responsibilities and frequent days missed, and a family's income can quickly be reduced.

When Make-A-Wish states that they cover every cost to the grant child, rest assured they are taking into consideration every imaginable detail and associated cost. A typical trip will include not only airfare and lodging, but also transportation to the airport, spending money for the trip, and activities for the child (and siblings) to occupy them on the plane. Disposable cameras are provided, with mailers provided to have the photos developed fee-free through Make-A-Wish at the trip's conclusion. Trip itineraries are arranged, entrance fees paid for, and accommodations made for special events. If necessary, Make-A-Wish will pay for the cost of renting a vehicle for the family to use for travel at their trip's destination. All of these arrangements are made on behalf of the Make-A-Wish child and their family by the Make-A-Wish foundation. Every detail is prepared with the family's collaboration, but without adding stress to their very busy and unpredictable lives.

Special trips and vacations are not the only way Make-A-Wish grants wishes. Although trips are often the wish of the children, a wish is a highly individualized experience. Make-A-Wish staff work closely with children to determine what their one true wish is, and work to the best of their ability to make the child's dream a reality. A granted wish may take the form of a day spent as a firefighter or policeman, a bedroom makeover, or the gift of a computer or other well-earned, much wanted item. Additionally, a child referred to Make-A-Wish need not have any idea of what they want at the time of the referral. The foundation will meet with a recipient and brainstorm their likes, needs, and desires until the wish they are wishing for is discovered.

Of course, funding gifts and vacations for ill children does not come cheaply. On average, Make-A-Wish trips costs the foundation over six-thousand dollars. Make-A-Wish relies on voluntary contributions made by private individuals, corporations, grants from foundations, and planned gifts. The parent foundation is supported through assessments and fees placed on regional chapters. Regional Chapters gain funds through similar donations and special events to grant wishes to local children. Note that Make-A-Wish does not fundraise through telemarketing or door-to-door fund drives, so any such claims are fraudulent.

Make-A-Wish relies heavily on in-kind donations of goods and services as well. This keeps the costs of wish granting as low as possible and helps the foundation reserve donated funds for monetary support and associated costs.

Make-A-Wish enjoys 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, therefore, all donations made to Make-A-Wish are federally recognized and tax deductible. With Make-A-Wish allotting seventy-nine percent of funds to program services, fund allocations well exceed many charitable organizations; a donation to Make-A-Wish is money well spent.

More information is available through the Make-A-Wish Foundation website at www.wish.org. Find out more about donating to Make-A-Wish or referring a child with a life-threatening medical condition. Read on to learn about the many kinds of wishes Make-A-Wish has granted, and view testimonials from children and families, complete with stories of how each child came to make their wish, what they did during a trip or how they used a particular gift, and all about the inspirational experiences Make-A-Wish children have had.

As you look forward to another year and resolve to help another or make a worldly difference, consider donating to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Your small gift will help to make a big difference in the life of a deserving child.