Make-A-Wish® Announces Global Celebration of Wish Alumni with World Wish
Make-A-Wish chapters and affiliates worldwide celebrate making the impossible possible for children with critical illnesses
PHOENIX (April 3, 2019) - Make-A-Wish® - the global organization that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses – will celebrate World Wish Day on April 29, the 39th anniversary of the wish for then-7-year-old Chris Greicius that inspired the founding of the organization. World Wish Day® celebrates the hundreds of thousands of life-changing wishes that have been granted – and the thousands of wishes still to come. In preparation for the milestone day, Make-A-Wish is launching a month-long World Wish Day campaign with the theme: “Where there’s a wish, there’s a way.”
Throughout April, Make-A-Wish will focus on telling the stories of wish alumni – young and old – whose wishes were a turning point in their medical treatment, giving them the strength they needed to fight their critical illness. By showcasing alumni, Make-A-Wish shows that a wish is not necessarily a last wish, but rather, an important part of a child’s medical treatment and healing.
Wish alumni stories will be on full display in a brand-new campaign that was developed in partnership with TBWA\Chiat\Day LA to showcase the long-lasting, life-changing benefits of a wish come true. A new PSA stars Make-A-Wish kids and alumni whose wishes to be an astronaut, dinosaur, mermaid, football player, cowgirl and firefighter served as a catalyst for hope and healing. The PSA premiered Wednesday, April 3, and can be watched and downloaded at wish.org/worldwishday.
In addition, Make-A-Wish will turn every Wednesday in April into #WishWednesday by sharing inspirational stories of wish kids and alumni through the Make-A-Wish social media platforms.
“Many of our wish alumni credit their wish experience with helping them to deal with, and ultimately overcome, their critical illness. They believe the inspiration, hope and joy provided by their wish helped them not just feel better, but sometimes get better,” said Richard Davis, Make-A-Wish America president and CEO.
“This World Wish Day, we want to show that a wish can be a transformative experience that motivates wish kids to accomplish their goals and achieve their dreams. The wish children of yesterday are the leaders and innovators of today … and it all started with a wish-come-true,” said Michel Rudolphie, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish International.
World Wish Day illustrates the imperative role a wish plays in a child’s medical treatment. Research shows that a wish can help kids build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness – an eye-opening finding in light of the fact that Make-A-Wish is currently only able to grant the wish of one of out of every two eligible children in the U.S.
Join the World Wish Day celebration and learn more at wish.org/worldwishday.
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About Make-A-Wish
Make-A-Wish 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 Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, serving children in every community in the United States and in more than 50 countries worldwide. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and nearly 40,000 volunteers across the U.S., grant a wish every 34 minutes, on average, somewhere in the country. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 315,000 wishes to children in the U.S. and its territories; more than 15,600 in 2018 alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish America, visit wish.org.