When Josie was 2 years old, she said she wanted to make five new friends. That has been a challenge for her as she has battled congenital heart disease. Today, Josie is 6 years old and decided to create that opportunity once and for all with her wish.

Josie wished to build a “nature playground” in a small Virginia town, in hopes that it would also help her connect with five new friends. Thanks to Make-A-Wish®, Josie was involved every step of the way, from the designs to the installation to reveal day as the park was developed.

“It’s just so amazing that this brave little girl chose to make her wish a park in[our]town for her buddies and to make five new friends,” said Katie Lamb, the town’s mayor. “We are just so thrilled with her wanting to do this in our town. It’s tremendous.”

The new hometown of Josie’s playground has a population of about 620 people, and the volunteers who helped with her wish reached about 100 people, including wish alumni such as Ben Earp. “I have three kids of my own, and when we found out that this was happening in our town, it had a personal effect on me,” Ben said. “When we first moved here, this was literally just a weeded mess and to see it become an actual park that my kids will grow up using and to see the town come together to build something for someone this deserving and this organization that is very deserving of the help that it gets, it means a lot, I have to say.”

Josie’s park design even included a “Buddy Bench” with an invitation to anyone who wants to be Josie’s friend: “The only way to have a friend is to be one.”

“I really like this place,” Josie said.