They say it takes a village to raise a child, but we here at Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada know it takes a community to grant a wish. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are longing to do something really good for others. They not only help us help our kiddos with critical illnesses to get a life-changing wish but also thank us for giving them the opportunity.
When I first got to Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada, I inherited a wish that was a playhouse. I had never built a playhouse or thought of building one, so I was incredibly grateful to have Nick and his team from Martin Harris Construction by my side. I suddenly became a general contractor, setting weekly calls (at the construction hours of seven in the morning) with Nick and the subcontractors. After months of working together, Sultan had his playhouse that fit all his medical and emotional needs. Wow, what a sense of accomplishment when that was done for all of us and to see the look on Sultan and his family’s faces. Priceless.
We’re incredibly fortunate, without any federal funding, that our national partners sometimes also become local partners. A case in point is Subaru of Las Vegas. You may have seen the Subaru Share the Love campaign. All 58 Make-A-Wish chapters are beneficiaries of that program. Locally, we hadn’t connected with them until a few years ago, and when we did, WOW! They have changed the lives of our wish kids and our entire team. They came on to grant a wish, and like the “potato chips” wishes are, they couldn’t stop with one. They became the presenting sponsor for our Trailblaze event and sponsored Walk for Wishes, granting wishes like Collin Jolly’s to have an all-terrain wheelchair. Burton Hughes and Jennifer Vitale from Subaru of Las Vegas have been incredibly enthusiastic partners and have become friends with us and our kids. Simply put, they care. And we are grateful.
When a wish is approved by our staff (ensuring we’re following both our national and local guidelines), we discuss possibilities for the wish. Most recently, we had a wish that was the first of its kind for our chapter: a skateboard half-pipe in a backyard. (No, I didn’t play general contractor again!) This wish was looking to be one of our more expensive wishes, too. As CEO, part of my responsibilities is ensuring we’re fiscally responsible. My staff hates it when I say this, but some days, I’m a CEO and others, I’m a CBO (Chief Begging Officer). When we started to think about this half-pipe wish, and how to make it happen, I turned to Sheila Marcello, our incredible Director of Corporate Partnerships, and asked, “Do you think this is a job for the Bros?”
The “Bros” is the incredible force of nature that owns our local Dutch Brothers Coffee locations. We became involved with them a few years ago, and they continue to have our backs. Whether they’re doing their dollar-a-drink promotion to raise funds for us or showing out in force for our Walk for Wishes, they have all lovingly become known simply as “The Bros” around our offices, The Wishing Place. To no one’s surprise, they jumped right in. Not only supporting the wish financially but showing out, as they do, in force as the forces of nature they are by bringing a hundred of their team members to Kai’s wish reveal for his half pipe. They even brought him the prototype used to create a custom skateboard for them and a note from the artist who created it. It’s officially 0 out of 300 made. How did I know “The Bros” was the right match for this job? Because we don’t just have donors, we have relationships with our community. We know one another well enough to know what might be a fit or not, and I hope our community partners feel the respect and admiration we have for them by trying to find the right wish for their involvement. It’s a bit of an art form, and I’m so proud that our entire team subscribes to working on wishes this way.
My goal has been the same since I started at Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada. Within ten years, I want everyone in Southern Nevada to be one degree of separation from our mission. What does that mean? It means, you know, it’s not a dying wish in most cases. It means you’ve either helped us grant a wish, like “The Bros,” or you’ve been to a wish reveal (like the hundred teammates at Dutch Bros) to see what our mission provides to a child, their family, the community and how to become involved with our mission. Our mission statement is, “Together, we grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.” And our goal is to reach every eligible child. My idea is that if everyone knew what we did, they would want to be a part of our mission, help us administer the prescription for hope only Make-A-Wish can provide, and if a family they know has a child that is going through a life-threatening illness, they’ll recommend they refer their child to Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada. THAT’S how I believe we’ll get closer to reaching every eligible child. (I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!)
So, whatever it is, don’t underestimate the power you have as a community member. You have an infinite amount of expertise and energy to give to make all of us better. Please check out our “Ways to Help” section on our website (wish.org/snv). While you’re changing the lives of our children and families here in Southern Nevada, I can guarantee you’ll change your own, too!