MARCH 27, 2020

Dear Wish Community,

We hope that you and your families are safe and coping as best you can with these unsettling changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First and foremost, I want to express our concern and gratitude for you during this challenging time. We sincerely hope you remain healthy and safe while continuing to adapt and adjust each day. Like many of you, we never envisioned a time like this, where everything seems so uncertain.

What is certain though is that now more than ever, our wish kids need us to keep them hopeful. 

The health and well-being of our wish families continues to take precedence, and given the current conditions, Make-A-Wish South Carolina must postpone wishes that would potentially put our wish kids and their families at risk. With more than 70% of our local wishes involving travel and/or attendance at large gatherings, it means that most of our wish granting efforts have been put on hold. 

It’s important to remember, though, this is only a postponement. While this reality is hard to face, our unwavering commitment to granting the wish of every eligible child with a critical illness is stronger than ever.

Our team is working from home in the interest of everyone’s health and safety. That doesn’t mean our vision to grant the wish of every eligible child is on hold; in fact, we’re processing new wish referrals daily, working on plans to discover wishes virtually, planning future events, and exploring options for creating virtual functions where we can still celebrate together.

But now, we have a real challenge ahead of us. Wishes are waiting. 

This year, more wishes will need to be granted in a shorter span of time than ever before. 117 wishes have already been delayed due to COVID-19. If this threat continues, we estimate that 15 additional wishes each month will be delayed by COVID-19 related postponements. 

WE RECOGNIZE THAT DURING THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, THE STEPS WE TAKE TODAY WILL DETERMINE OUR OUTCOME TOMORROW.

Messages of Hope as South Carolina Wish Kids Are Waiting 

A wish is prescribed hope. The healing power of a wish starts when a child learns their wish is coming true and continues to work as they anticipate their wish. Our team will continue to keep that hope alive throughout this uncertain time. We believe a little bit of hope is what our kids and this community need right now.

Our mission won’t stop because we know there are kids who need and deserve a wish. You can help us deliver much-needed hope to South Carolina wish kids who are waiting . To help today, send a Message of Hope. Share a message of hope to keep wish kids inspired on social media with the hashtag #WishesAreWaiting. That small act can make a huge difference for a child waiting on their wish.

We know these times are difficult for you too, so we want you to know we’re thinking of you. We understand that many of you in our wish community have been personally impacted by this pandemic.  When you are ready to share your support in more ways, please keep Make-A-Wish in mind.  With wishes being postponed and significant fundraising events being canceled or rescheduled, there will be more children waiting for a wish locally than ever before. When the moment comes, how many wishes we grant and how quickly we grant them will come down to funding. Your continued support will bring hope to our community at a time when it’s needed the most.

We WILL come out of this stronger and more determined than ever before to deliver the amazing wish experiences that our wish kids need and deserve.  We WILL need your help, and we know our family of supporters will rise to this challenge with us. TOGETHER, we will get through this.

On behalf of the Make-A-Wish South Carolina family and the precious children we serve together, we thank you for your support.

With joy and best wishes,
Misty