Make-A-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit organization that grants the wishes of children with critical illnesses. The illness must be life threatening, though not necessarily terminal (fatal). The foundation fulfills various kinds of wishes. For example, a child may wish to experience being in a certain profession, such as that of a police officer, firefighter, or fashion model. The child may wish to travel to a faraway place or visit an amusement park. Many children wish to meet athletes or other celebrities.
The foundation grants wishes to children ages 2 1/2 to 18. The child may apply for the wish, or the wish may be applied for by parents, guardians, or medical professionals on the child’s behalf. The treating physician determines if the child meets the foundation’s medical requirements. Medical professionals and foundation employees and volunteers believe that the entire wish process—from applying for a wish to looking forward to the experience and remembering it—helps the child to cope with illness.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation had its beginnings in 1980, when several members of Arizona’s Department of Public Safety worked together to grant a wish to Chris Greicius, a seven-year-old boy from Arizona with leukemia . Greicius wanted to be a police officer, and the public works team made him an honorary officer for a day. The group then began raising money to grant more wishes. They soon received tax-exempt (tax-free) status as a nonprofit organization. By 1981, the group had raised enough money to grant its first official wish, to Frank “Bopsy” Salazar. Salazar, like Greicius, was seven years old and had been diagnosed with leukemia. He wished to be a fireman, to go to Disneyland , and to ride in a hot-air balloon . The group worked with the Phoenix Fire Department and with the Anaheim Fire Department, in California , to grant his wishes. The organization gained national attention in 1982, when their activities were featured in a nationwide television news program. In May 1983, the Make-A-Wish Foundation was incorporated and opened multiple chapters across the United States.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is headquartered in Phoenix. It now has chapters around the world. The foundation’s World Wish Day, on April 29, commemorates the anniversary of the granting of Greicius’s wish. The foundation grants tens of thousands of wishes each year.
