HONOLULU, HI- The health and safety of all Make-A-Wish® Hawaii constituents, including our wish families and partners, is our top priority. Due to current medical and public concerns, Make-A-Wish America recently made the difficult decision to postpone all wish travel, as well as wish kid participation in all activities and events related to Make-A-Wish that involve large gatherings (e.g. large scale wish granting events, theme parks, etc.) until further notice. This decision impacts both local travel wishes and incoming wishes to visit the islands.
Make-A-Wish will continue to monitor guidance from national and international public health and government organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. State Department, and is working closely with the national Make-A-Wish Medical Advisory Council, keeping the best interest of the children and families we serve at the center of all decisions we make.
On average, more than 80 percent of local wishes involve travel, and Hawaii is one of the most popular wish destinations in the world. Nationwide, 970 wishes were immediately impacted with 30 more wishes estimated to be postponed each day. The Hawaii chapter has postponed 208 local and incoming wishes across the state, but its mission of creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses is not on hold.
“We’re still hard at work delivering hope and joy at a time when the entire world really needs it. There is quite a bit of planning that goes into a wish before it’s granted, and our team is actively working with our waiting wish children and their families to bring their most heartfelt wishes to life as soon as we are able,” said Make-A-Wish Hawaii President and CEO Trini Kaopuiki Clark. “With wishes being postponed, there will be more local keiki waiting for a wish than ever before, so the support of our community is vital in helping us deliver hope and strength to these children and their families.”
The chapter asks those who are able to consider making a donation at hawaii.wish.org to help give hope today and grant wishes tomorrow. The chapter is also seeking donations of airline miles, which never expire and will help grant wishes for local children who wish to go somewhere once travel resumes.
In addition to donations, words of encouragement for waiting wish keiki are a personal way to show local wish children that the entire Hawaii community is rallying behind them. Please send digital copies of notes and cards to [email protected].
The community is also invited to participate in Make-A-Wish’s new national campaign, Messages of Hope, which calls attention to the children currently waiting for their wishes to come true. The campaign asks community supporters to share their own creative Messages of Hope on social media and use the hashtag #WishesAreWaiting.
To learn more about other ways to support wishes across our islands, visit hawaii.wish.org.
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About Make-A-Wish Hawaii
Make-A-Wish® Hawaii creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We seek to bring every eligible child’s wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness. Headquartered in Honolulu, Make-A-Wish Hawaii is considered one of the top charities in the state, with 78 cents of every dollar raised going directly toward granting wishes in Hawaii. One of the first local Make-A-Wish chapters established, Make-A-Wish Hawaii continues to be among the busiest in the nation. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 700 volunteers have granted nearly 1,500 wishes for children across the state of Hawaii since 1982 and have hosted more than 16,000 others for children around the world; the chapter granted 99 local wishes in 2019 alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish Hawaii, visit Hawaii.wish.org.