FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington, DC (June 10, 2022) – Make-A-Wish® Mid-Atlantic partners with The Kahlert Foundation to launch the Baltimore Wish Fund to support children diagnosed with a critical illness in the Baltimore region. The fund supports life-changing wishes for kids living in Baltimore City and the Baltimore metro area, encompassing Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.
According to the findings of the 2022 Wish Impact Survey, wishes make an impact on the medical outcomes. Ninety-five percent of the doctors reported the wish improved their patients’ emotional and physical well-being. Most notably, 75% of the doctors went as far as to state that a wish could improve a child’s medical outcomes.
“The Baltimore community is remarkably supportive of kids and families dealing with critical illnesses in their own backyard,” said Lesli Creedon, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. “As we worked with businesses, advocates and leaders in Baltimore, we saw their passion to give local kids a moment of joy and hope during their medical journey. They are committed to the Make-A-Wish mission and recognize that a wish is not just nice, it's medically necessary. This fund is a unique opportunity to channel that passion and work together to expand our impact right here in Baltimore. We hope other companies, community groups and philanthropists will join Greg Kahlert, President of The Kahlert Foundation, to grow the fund and enable our organization to serve even more Balitmore families
Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic is honored to welcome The Kahlert Foundation, a Maryland-based family grant-making foundation, as the founding partner for the Baltimore Wish Fund. Their gift of $100,000 kick-started this dedicated fund and laid the groundwork of support for other partners to join. A long-time supporter of Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, The Kahlert Foundation has given more than $600,000 to support local wishes since 2014.
“It is our privilege to be able to assist the dedicated staff at Make-A-Wish in fulfilling the dreams of so many Baltimore children and their families during a difficult time,” said Greg Kahlert, President of The Kahlert Foundation. “We hope others will join in support so wishes can come true for kids waiting in Baltimore.”
Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic’s Impact in Baltimore
- Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic has granted wishes to Baltimore-area children since its founding in 1983.
- In the last five years, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic granted more than 600 wishes in the Baltimore-metro area.
- Thirty percent of wishes granted in the Mid-Atlantic region are to kids living in Baltimore and the metro area.
- More than 60 children from the greater Baltimore area are currently waiting for their wishes to be granted.
- The majority of wish kids in the Baltimore area are referred to Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic from John Hopkins and the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Learn more about the research demonstrating how wish-fulfillment promotes mental and emotional well-being for children and their families who are facing trauma stemming from a critical illness in the 2022 Wish Impact Survey.
About Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic
Make-A-Wish® creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic serves children who reside in the District of Columbia, Maryland and northern Virginia. Founded in 1983, the Mid-Atlantic chapter has granted more than 10,000 wishes in the Mid-Atlantic region since its inception. Wish kids face any number of critical illnesses such as cancer, pediatric AIDS, Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Duchene’s muscular dystrophy, kidney and heart disease. The community has the opportunity to make an impact today by helping Make-A-Wish to reach hundreds of kids whose wishes would go otherwise unanswered this year. For more information, please visit www.midatlantic.wish.org.
Contact: Jessica Pettit, Director of Marketing and Communication
[email protected], (812) 604-1533