The Iowa Make-A-Wish chapter reaching this milestone after 33 years of serving critical ill children and their families.
Dubuque, Iowa – On Saturday, March 7, 2020, Make-A-Wish® Iowa will announced its 4,000th wish at the seventeenth annual Dubuque gala for an Oelwein child. The wish granting process has provided an enormous amount of hope for the wish family during hardship.
Wish recipient, Michael (15), has been battling a life-threatening rare disease when he was referred to Make-A-Wish. Because of his passion of show cattle, he wished to have a livestock trailer, t o expand his cattle business he created with his brother. With the help and generosity from Featherlite Trailers, Smith Home Gallery & Cabinet Work and many other Dubuque are donor, Michael’s wish came true.
“It is truly remarkable to be able to watch Michael’s wish to have a livestock trailer become a reality,” said Jennifer Woodley, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Iowa. “His wish shows the true power of a single wish. A wish not only transforms the life of the child receiving it, but also transforms the lives of the wish family, volunteers, support systems, medical professionals and entire communities. Our chapter wouldn’t be able to grant these wishes at the caliber we grant them without the generous support from our donors.”
A Make-A-Wish experience is than a moment in time, it brings hope where there is fear, strength where there is anxiety, and joy where there is sadness. Often, a wish come true is a catalyst to better health. Itempowers children with critical illnesses to fight harder against their illnesses. It helps children feel stronger, more energetic, more willing and able to battle their critical illnesses. For many, a wish marks a turning point in the fight against their illnesses or a celebration of their journey.
“Currently, there are 248 eligible children waiting to receive their wish. It is because of our incredible donors that our organization is able to grant 170 wishes this year,” Woodley noted. “However, our mission is to grant the wish of every eligible child across the state, and there are still 78 wishes that are waiting. Seeing our community come together to grant wishes like Michaels’s wish shows us that together, we can transform lives, one wish at a time.”
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About Make-A-Wish Iowa: Make-A-Wish® Iowa 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 more than 34,000 volunteers across the U.S., grant a wish every 33 minutes, on average, somewhere in the country. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 330,000 wishes to children in the U.S. and its territories; more than 15,800 in 2019 alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish Iowa, visit iowa.wish.org.