Fiscal Year 2023 was full of milestones. We celebrated our 40th Anniversary and granted our 20,000th wish for 5-year-old Mya, who wished to meet and ride a unicorn (read on to learn more about her incredible wish day and how our community came together to help #FindClover). We also granted a record 1,205 wishes and raised $16M in cash and $5.5M in-kind donations. As we reflect on this past year, we’re filled with gratitude for generous, kind, and caring people like you. None of this would be possible without your support.
As we share our Fiscal Year 2023 Audited Financial Statements, we hope you can see our great strides towards long-term continual growth. On average, we receive three new referrals daily, more than 1,100 referrals each year. To ensure we can achieve our vision of granting the wish of every eligible child, we must continue to increase fundraising revenue and grant wishes at a rapid pace. We’re confident we can meet these goals with the continued and growing support of our incredible board members, individual donors, volunteers, corporate partners, and others who believe in the power of a wish.
This past year, the world witnessed the power of a wish through the story of wish kid Cody and his best friend and namesake, Cody’s Wish. Cody was 12 when Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana introduced him to the Thoroughbred Cody’s Wish that would impact their lives and inspire the world. Click here to read the New York Times article about their incredible bond. Cody passed away one day after Cody’s Wish won at the Breeders’ Cup during his final race this past November. Cody taught us all what love means in his short life and that anything is possible through a wish.
Thank you for helping us fulfill this vital mission. Together, we can give joy today and restore hope tomorrow through a wish.
Sincerely,
- Stephanie McCormick
Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana President & CEO
- Kara Trott
Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana Governing Board Chair
Click on each story below to learn about some of the incredible people, businesses, and organizations who helped give hope and restore joy for children and families in our community in Fiscal Year 2023.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
When you partner with Make-A-Wish, you stand with one of the most loved and trusted nonprofits in the world.
IN HONOR OF CODY
Our wish kids inspire hope in us. This past year, one wish kid, in particular, inspired the world.
AN EVERYDAY HERO
Congratulations to wish kid Jocelyn for being named an Everyday Heroes 2023 Finalist.
CONSTELLATION SOCIETY
Thanks to Constellation Society members like the Brandenburg Family, we’re moving closer to our vision of granting the wish
TOP WORKPLACE
We’re proud to be named a Top Workplace and take pride in our people-first culture.
Help Wishes Take Flight!
Did you know that 80% of the wishes we grant are travel-related? Every year, we send hundreds of wish kids like 4-year-old Laila to popular destinations in Florida, Hawaii, and more! Laila’s wish meant experiencing many “firsts,” including her first plane ride, her first time eating a pretzel bigger than her head and her first trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort.
We need your support to help wishes take flight! Nationally, Make-A-Wish would need more than 2.8 billion miles, or 50,000 round-trip tickets, to cover every travel wish each year. You can donate airline miles and points to Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana, and once donated, your miles never expire.
Your donation of airline miles today ensures that we will be able to book flights now and in the future. Visit oki.wish.org/miles to donate your United, American Airlines, Delta, jetBlue and/or Southwest airline miles and points.