When wish kid Rowan fell into critical condition, he hoped it wouldn’t disrupt his fun times with friends in the tree fort his father had built. Unfortunately, due to his illness, he used a wheelchair and could no longer climb to his beloved fort. 

Rowan wished for a new, more accessible fort. Thanks to CEO Jeff Mazet and his wife, Jonna Mazet, the crew at BHM Construction, a general contractor located in Napa, was ready to help.  

“After viewing the site, we decided that we would make it special by building the entire fort in a single day,” says Jeff. “We pre-built a lot of the structure off-site. On building day, we showed up with a team of twelve carpenters and laborers and built the fort.” 

Rowan pitched in by helping to build the threshold that made it easily accessible for his wheelchair. 

“We installed a large window so that he could look at his grassy backyard, which he called the meadow,” Jeff says. “We finished it all by giving him a gift of an outdoor pizza oven, something he had asked for as part of his wish.” 

When a wish requires building skills, BHM Construction dives right in. “We’re thrilled that our construction company has been involved in granting wishes,” says Jonna. “Our employees love doing it, and they really take it on and go above and beyond, getting t-shirts and everything for the volunteers and the wish kids.” 

While the focus is on bringing joy to wish kids, Jonna says the company benefits too. “As a business-owning family, it’s very nice for the business, because your team will get a feeling of community and support from that,” she explains. “And then it gives you the opportunity to network with other businesses also supporting those same wishes.” 

The Mazets love that Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area has an impact locally. They still remember, a decade ago, when 5-year-old leukemia patient and wish kid Miles Scott was transformed into Batkid and saved the city of San Francisco in front of a cheering crowd.  

“Early on, I think Batkid was a touch point for our community,” Jonna says. “The ability to mobilize the entire city was absolutely impressive and showed me the power of hope and love. Sometimes we get a little cynical, and that positively reinforced what I knew was out there.” 

The power of hope and love encourages the Mazets to connect with their own community, and they’ve seen firsthand how wish granting can bring people together. 

“One of the great aspects of constructing a wish is the support you get from other builders, the municipalities in charge of permitting, and the local supply stores,” Jeff says. “Everyone wants to help in whatever way they can. It is truly heartwarming!” 

Jeff and Jonna want to help as many deserving children as possible—even if their wishes don’t require construction help. “So, we are really blessed to be able to give personally as well, to support those wishes that need everybody’s support,” Jonna says. 

The Mazets have been supporting Make-A-Wish for decades. In the beginning, their donations were smaller and, as they were able to give at higher levels, they did. 

“Thinking about children and their families and what they have to go through when they’re facing critical illnesses has captured our minds and our hearts,” Jonna says. 

As an epidemiologist, Jonna is especially interested in the healing potential of joy. “I found it very interesting and exciting to see how much better wish kids tend to do with the same prognosis as other kids who aren’t referred,” she says. “That made me want to support more kids and also help the physicians to understand how they can refer more.” 

Jonna also says that, at a time when people increasingly worry about scams and fraud, donors can rest easy when they support Make-A-Wish.  

“It’s hard to choose and know that your money is going somewhere where it’s really making a difference,” she says. “And our family and our company can attest to this being a great, reputable, solid organization where all of the work that gets done is for the kids and their families.”