Make-A-Wish^® Illinois

Thank you to those who joined us at Navy Pier Saturday night for Wish Ball 2023!  We hope you enjoyed this incredible night in support of wish children and their families. Because of you, it was a very successful evening, with $2.6M raised.  You are helping wish families find Belief Beyond their diagnosis and imagine a life beyond their illness. 

Our celebrity emcee John Stamos along with co-emcee and wish alum Clara led an exciting program including some magical appearances by Howie Mandel and The Beach Boys’ Mike Love. Our Wish Ambassadors Angela, Averie, Luna, Matthew, Nadya, Oliver, Ruby, and Taliyah not only shared their personal stories with guests, but also provided excellent backup for Molly and the Wish Ball Band as they all performed with John Stamos.

This night would not be possible without our many generous sponsors. Thank you to all who contributed, especially our Presenting Sponsor, GATX!

After a moving performance by wish alumni Luna, who sang and Clara who danced, we were honored to hear from wish parent Lynden McGriff. Lynden shared about the journey he and his wife Jillian have had with three children, Oliver, Ruby and Nadya, diagnosed with the same rare disease, each have unique challenges and personalities and  wishes! His remarks emphasized that finding community and support from Make-A-Wish, thanks to people like you, is an important part of helping them cope.
 

To remember the night and reflect on all of the magic, we hope you will join us in looking through some of the most outstanding memories and photos from the evening. You can find photos on our Flickr page, Facebook page, LinkedIn and on Instagram @wishillinois and @wishballchicago.