We Are Celebrating Our 25th Anniversary in a BIG Way
By Susan McConnell
President & CEO
How do you put into words the meaning of granting children's wishes? Recently, while playing a trivia game with my family I happened upon the question, “What charity was founded in 1980 after a seriously-ill child was granted his wish to be a police officer?” I was immediately struck by the fact that I work for a charity with such a beloved brand that even the people who develop trivia questions recognize the significance of the Make-A-Wish Foundation®.
Twenty-nine years and 174,000 wishes later, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America is the largest professional wish-granting organization in the world with 67 chapters across the country granting a wish somewhere every 40 minutes.
When the initial office forming our chapter, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Cleveland, was opened in 1983 it consisted of two employees who granted 12 wishes that first year. On January 3, 1984, our Chapter granted its first wish: six-year-old George Dean, who was battling cancer, wished to go to Walt Disney World.
Days before his wish came true, George’s Mother wrote:
“…Words cannot express my regard for your effort and concern. Keep doing what you do - there will be others after George to whom you will provide a great deal of happiness despite their daily heartbreak.”
Over the course of the next 25 years, our Chapter has experienced significant growth. Beginning in 1997, our Chapter would change its name four times, add four regional offices, two additional states and some 63,000 square miles to our mission area. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana is now the chapter serving the largest geographical region and granting the highest number of wishes in the country.
Since our humble beginnings in a small Cleveland office, we have granted more than 7,300 wishes to special children.
And throughout, our universal mission has remained a source of inspiration for thousands of staff, volunteers and donors around the country:
We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
Wishes come in all shapes and sizes and are as unique as the children who make them. The majority of wishes fall into four categories:
I wish to go… I wish to be… I wish to meet… I wish to have…
With their imagination guiding the process, the Make-A-Wish Foundation gives every child the power to decide their heartfelt wish at a time when they often feel powerless.
As I reflect back, I feel as though every child I have met and every wish I have participated in granting has led me to this moment - our silver anniversary celebration. And we are planning to celebrate in a big way with our BIG Wish Gala.
Country music superstars Rascal Flatts will be on hand to provide a private concert at the BIG Wish Gala on May 9, 2009 on the 50-yard line of the “Horseshoe” stadium at The Ohio State University.
Along with our big celebration is a goal: To raise $1 million and eliminate the two-year backlog of pending wishes.
Some may think its crazy - planning such a big event with a lofty goal during unsettling economic times. But the history of the Horseshoe itself begs to differ. I am sure there were naysayers when leaders of The Ohio State University decided the time was right to build a modern 63,000 seat stadium in 1920 - a time of high inflation and unemployment.
Their goal, like ours, was to raise $1 million. In four months, they exceeded their goal. The money was not raised through government grants, large corporate donors or a giant bequest, it was raised by sharing the dream, passing the jar and asking people to give what they could.
So is this crazy? Brad Halley doesn’t think so.
I will never forget his son, Zach. At 16, Zach was diagnosed with cancer and had to put his dream of restoring a classic 1976 Corvette on hold. At the time, I was a regional manager for the Central Ohio area and responsible for all of the planning and logistics that go into granting wishes.
I made arrangements to restore Zach's Corvette, and for a magical unveiling during an Ohio State Buckeye’s football practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex. With Zach and his family on the practice field, Coach John Cooper drove the fully-restored Corvette to him, motioned him to get in the car, and encouraged him to drive a lap around the field while family, players and coaches cheered him on.
Zach, who passed away shortly after his wish was granted in 1998, was the inspiration of the annual Hoops for Hope fundraiser. Each year, Zach's parents, Brad and Pam, host a three-on-three basketball tournament with all proceeds coming to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
"Make-A-Wish was there for our family when medicine was not," said Brad. "The smile on Zach's face as he drove his shiny red Corvette that day will remain in our hearts for a lifetime. It was a pleasant oasis in a time of turmoil, and I want to keep spreading that joy to other families."
The Hoops for Hope fundraiser has raised more than $44,000 for local wishes, and their own wish experience has sparked a lifetime of paying it forward for the Halley family.
Wishes can be transformational experiences for all involved. A momentary triumph of the human spirit inspires us and reminds us of the ties that bind us all together. We know, however briefly, that we are at our very best when we can grant a child's wish.
No, this goal is not crazy. This work is just too important to the children served by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Looking to the Next 25 Years
Today, approximately 1,700 children in the Chapter’s geographic footprint qualify to receive a wish annually. Because of limited resources, we grant approximately 750 wishes annually. My goal is to grant the wish of every qualified child in our territory each and every year until they no longer need us.
And, in the coming year the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana will have an even larger geographic footprint due to a planned merger with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northwest Ohio. Along with that merger, another name change: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.
Despite these changes, I want to ensure everyone that we will always remain good stewards of our donors' funds, and that we will continue granting quality wish experiences for children throughout the tri-state area.
Hope is as basic a human need as food, shelter and clothing. And when you give hope to another, you will receive it back tenfold.
