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The Make a Wish Foundation

by Emma

The Make a Wish Foundation Logo  (Jimmie Johnson Foundation (The Make a Wish Foundation))
The Make a Wish Foundation Logo (Jimmie Johnson Foundation (The Make a Wish Foundation))

The Make a Wish Foundation is a organization that asks children with severe medical conditions if they could have one wish, what would it be. Then, they do everything in their power to make it come true. Make a Wish has been giving children their wishes since 1980. They have granted around 250,000 wishes in total, and more everyday! A child is eligible for a wish if they are between two and a half and eighteen years old, and have or had a life threatening medical condition. On average, a wish is granted every 38 minutes! Some characteristics that the Make a Wish foundation has that makes them my hero is that they change people's lives for the better, are generous with time and money, and overcome adversity. The Make a Wish Foundation has changed many people's lives, and for this reason, they are my hero.

The Make a Wish Foundation has been changing people's lives for the better since 1980. Chris Greicius was a seven year old boy with leukemia. He lived in Phoenix, Arizona. Chris dreamed about being a police officer, but he probably wouldn't live long enough to make his dream come true. Chris's mom, Linda Bergendahl-Pauling's friend's husband was a police officer, named Tommy Austin. He wanted to make Chris's wish possible. Austin talked to other police officers and together they arranged for Chris to receive the police office experience. Chris flew in a helicopter from the hospital to the police station, where he and his family got a tour. The next day, the police officers give Chris a uniform. He steers his battery powered motorcycle to earn a motorcycle officer's wings. The day after that, Chris was back in the hospital. The police officers visited him in the hospital and one police officer gave Chris his motorcycle officer's wings. On March third Chris died. He was given a funeral of a fellow fallen officer. Soon after Chris's death, Chris's mom and the police officers started talking about how they could bring other children their wishes. The Make a Wish Foundation was created. Make a Wish changes people's lives every day. The wish experience helps the children feel stronger, more energetic, and makes them become more willing to fight their life threatening medical condition. Also, many health professionals, nurses, and doctors say that the wishes help the children feel better emotionally and physically. About 99% of parents reported that the wish experience increased the children's happiness. In the same way, around 96% of parents reported that the wish experience strengthened families and brought them together. Most importantly, it gives the wish kids hope.

The Make a Wish Foundation is extremely generous with time and money. Make a Wish has about 25,000 active volunteers in the United States and its territories. When a child is referred for a wish, usually a wish team will go and meet the child and their family personally. They help the child discover their one true wish. There are also a lot of time spent planning for the wish. If the child wanted to meet someone, wish granters have to first ask if they would like to meet with this child, then they have to fit it in in that person's schedule. When a wish is being granted, the child's family pays for nothing; the entire experience is payed for by Make a Wish. The cost of a wish depends on the wish itself, but as of March 2012, the average cost of a wish is $7,500. 14,000 wishes were granted in 2012 alone, so on average, Make a Wish spent $105,000,000 in 2012 alone! The Make a Wish Foundation relies on donors and fundraising to make wishes possible. 4.6% of all the money that they receive is used for administration, 9.9% of the money is used for fundraising, and over 85% goes to the wishes. Make a Wish is very dedicated to making children's wishes come true.

Overcoming adversity is another thing for which I admire Make a Wish. The Make a Wish Foundation helps the children overcome adversity by giving them a memory of pure happiness that will help keep them strong and hopeful. The Make a Wish foundation also overcomes many adversities themselves. Some of the wishes are harder to grant, but Make a Wish always goes beyond anyone's expectations. One boy's wish was to be Batman. Make a Wish could have just dressed him up as Batman and had him ride in a "batcar". But what they did was amazing. The entire city of San Francisco was shut down for this little boy's wish. He got to be Batkid, as he and Batman stopped staged crimes throughout "Gotham City". There was even a Gotham City Newspaper printed all about Batkid. Make a Wish could have taken the easy way out, but their goal is to make every child's wish come true, and to make it a memorable as possible.

The Make a Wish Foundation has been making the world a better place and continues to do it every day. They overcome adversity, are generous with time and money, and change people's lives. By giving children who had, or have, a life threatening disease a chance to have their wishes come true, Make a Wish is making these children stronger and more hopeful at the same time. To me, this is a heroic feat. The Make a Wish Foundation is not only inspiring to me, but to many others as well. They inspire people to try and make a difference in just one person's life, and for that reason, they are my hero.

Page created on 5/26/2015 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 5/26/2015 12:00:00 AM

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