History

Make-A-Wish Beginnings
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America was founded in 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. It all began because of the simple dream of a boy named Chris. A small group of people helped this very ill little boy achieve his wish - to be a state trooper for a day.

Since then, Make-A-Wish has grown into the largest and most professional wish granting organization in the world with 67 chapters in the U.S. To date, the Foundation has granted more than 153,000 wishes worldwide.

Chapter Beginnings
In 1983, the chapter now recognized as the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, was originally founded in northeast Ohio, becoming the eleventh chapter formed by the organization. In that first year of operation, the chapter managed to grant the wishes of 12 children. Over the course of the next 14 years, this number would rise steadily. In the late 1990's onward to 2001, the chapter experienced a great deal of growth. During the course of four years, beginning in 1997, it would change names three times, add an equal number of offices, an additional state, and some 63,000 square miles to the service area.

In August 2005, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America identified the Greater Ohio & Kentucky chapter as most capable of handling a merge with the neighboring Indiana chapter. The union resulted in the highest regional population (22,000,000+) with the greatest number of eligible wish children (2,000+).