Make-A-Wish^® New Jersey

Important Update From Make-A-Wish New Jersey: COVID-19

March 16, 2020

Monroe Township - To the valued members of our Make-A-Wish New Jersey family:

Over the past few weeks, we have all been through uncertainty for ourselves, our loved ones, our communities, and you, our Make-A-Wish family.

We remain committed to creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses here in New Jersey. In light of current medical and public concerns, I wanted to share with you some important updates and steps our organization both here in New Jersey and across the country have taken to ensure the health and safety of our wish families, as well as our staff, volunteers, partners and supporters.

Make-A-Wish America has made the difficult decision to postpone all wish travel until further notice, as well as wish kid participation in all activities and events related to Make-A-Wish that involve large gatherings. Nationally, on average, Make-A-Wish grants more than 15,800 wishes per year, and over 77 percent of these wishes involve air travel. We estimate that more than 30 wishes per day could be delayed by COVID-19 related postponements.

Here in New Jersey, we have closed the Samuel & Josephine Plumeri Wishing Place, our magical wish-granting castle in Monroe Township. Our staff remains hard at work daily, from the safety of their own homes.

We will continue to monitor guidance from national and international public health and government organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. State Department, and are 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 policy decisions we make.

Your commitment to wish children and families is critical.

Because of the significant economic and wish-granting impact of COVID-19, there are more wish kids here in the Garden State waiting for wishes now than ever before. We appreciate your much-needed support. Please visit nj.wish.org to make a donation or learn more on how you can get involved.

On behalf of our board and staff, thank you for your continued great efforts on behalf of the children and families we serve. I want all of you, and us, to remain safe and healthy, so that we can all continue to be there for our wish kids when the time comes again.

Best Regards,
Thomas P. Weatherall
President & CEO
Make-A-Wish® New Jersey