Wish Recipient Gives Other Kids Hope & Strength
Lemonade is a classic go-to beverage on hot summer days. For wish alum Shay, it became a vessel of hope and fuel for strengthening community.
In 2017, Shay started a lemonade stand, hoping to raise a few hundred dollars for Make-A-Wish so that more kids facing illness could experience what she did: the refreshing gift of a wish.
While most lemonade stands last a summer, Shay’s has grown into a beloved community tradition, bringing people together with a shared purpose of helping. And help, they have!
The first year, the Pullman community validated Shay’s vision to give back, raising $3,000. Each year, the goal grew and was exceeded. Generosity flowed like lemonade.
Most recently, the Pullman lemonade stand raised over $36,000 in two days. People came from all around to support the cause. Policeman, fireman, families, friends, a theater group and more showed up, contributed and spread the news. Even a local tattoo parlor offered huge discounts to those who donated to the lemonade stand.
Over the past nine years, this impactful lemonade has raised over $182,000 for Make-A-Wish!
But Shay would be the first to tell you that she couldn’t do it alone. Not only does Shay have a generous community, but she’s also had two wonderful helpers since the beginning: the two children of her wish-granting volunteer, Kimberly, who’s also a huge champ and helper of the lemonade stand.
Kimberly met Shay when she qualified for a wish. Before birth, Shay was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that resulted in a severe heart defect and a host of other medical challenges, including a compromised immune system.
"It hasn't always been easy, but this is our normal life," said Shay's mom, Colleen.
Wish kid Shay holds some of the earnings from her 2019 lemonade stand fundraiser.
In 2017, Shay’s wish to meet the cast of her favorite movie came true. Her whole family came, and the wish experience was much more than a vacation. It was a chance to step away from medical appointments and procedures and focus on simply being together.
"Experiencing the good-heartedness of so many strangers during Shay's wish trip truly restored our faith in humanity," Colleen says.
That spirit of generosity left a lasting impression. And it forged life-long friendships.
"Not only did they (our wish granters) enter our home to talk about wishes, they entered our hearts forever," Colleen says.
Today, Shay’s lemonade stand is more than a fundraiser. It’s a community tradition, a celebration of generosity and a powerful reminder that wishes come true because people choose to make them happen. And that includes you!
We’re grateful for wish alum like Shay and our dedicated volunteers, like Kimberly, and her children, Jack and Marissa, whose compassion continues to inspire and create hope for future wish kids.
It takes a village to grant every wish. And every village can be strengthened by something as sweet and simple as lemonade and the big heart of the girl who pours it generously.
