Although each wish experience is unique, there is a general procedure by which a child is referred, qualified, and granted a wish.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wishes
Step One: The Wish Referral
Make-A-Wish accepts wish referrals from:- The child
- A parent/guardian
- A medical professional (for example, a nurse or doctor, social worker or child-life specialist)
If the initial referral comes from someone other than those listed above, we always ask that the family be notified to refer directly on their own behalf. We never make the initial contact to families at this sensitive time of coping with a life-threatening illness.
Step Two: Determining Eligibility
Any child between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 with a life-threatening medical may be eligible for a wish. The child cannot have received a previous wish from Make-A-Wish or any other wish-granting organization.
Step Three: Identifying the Wish
Once confirmed by a medical professional as eligible, we assign a team of wish-granting volunteers to coordinate the wish experience. During their first visit with a child, they interview and get to know the child. They will ask "If you could have one wish, what would it be?" We let the child choose exactly what he/she would like for their wish.
Usually, wishes are limited only by a child’s imagination. Most wishes fall into four main categories:
Wish To Have - Examples of this type include wishes to have a computer, a party, or a shopping spree.
Wish To Go - This is our most popular wish. Examples include wishes to go to Disney World, Hawaii or cruises.
Wish To Meet - Examples of this type include wishes to meet a professional athlete, musician, actor or other popular celebrity. Sometimes this type of wish also includes meeting relatives that the child has never met before!
Wish To Be - Examples of this type include wishes to be a policeman, ballerina, doctor or other occupation that the child finds fascinating.
Step Four: Wish Approval
After the child tells us what their wish is, the request goes through an internal approval process and the wish is verified with the child’s physician to make sure it is medically appropriate.
Step Five: Granting the Wish
After the wish is approved, the volunteer wish granting team sets out to create a magical wish experience!
Frequently Asked Question About Wishes
"On the surface, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and its many volunteers and donors provide wonderful trips and events and experiences … but it is so much more than that. It plants seeds of hope and expectation for a better, happier (and healthier) day; it offers needed respite in the midst of hard times. It gives families the opportunity to make life-long memories when then may not have much time to make memories."
-Mike & Deb Watters (Victor and Corinne's parents)
“On the surface, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and its many volunteers and donors provide wonderful trips and events and experiences … but it is so much more than that. It plants seeds of hope and expectation for a better, happier (and healthier) day; it offers needed respite in the midst of hard times. It gives families the opportunity to make life-long memories when then may not have much time to make memories.”
-Mike & Deb Watters (Victor and Corinne’s parents)
