What is the Make-A-Wish Foundation?
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501� (3) organization whose mission is to grant the wishes of children who have life-threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
Make-A-Wish strives to provides children and family with special moments of joy and laughter. A "wish" offers a welcome respite�time away from the stress and strain of dealing with a serious illness.
The Foundation began in 1980 with the fulfillment of the wish of a seven-year old boy with leukemia who wanted to be a policeman. Officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety granted his wish with a custom made uniform, a helmet, a badge and even a helicopter ride! That one child's delight in having a wish fulfilled provided the inspiration for the foundation. Today, Make-A-Wish is the largest wish granting organization in the world with 81 chapters in the US and 22 affiliates abroad.
The Southern Florida chapter was started in 1983 by the Plantation Junior Woman's Club, They have grown from granting 2 wishes in1983 to granting 420 wishes in 2000. Today they serve the children of Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, Collier, Lee, Hendry and Glades countries.
Who qualifies for a Wish?
A child must:
1) Be between 2 1/2 and 18 years of age.
2) Have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
3) Not have a wish granted by any other organization.
If you know of any children who qualify, PLEASE refer them to Make-A-Wish. They accept referrals from all sources: parents, teachers, doctors and even the kids themselves. Please view their website for more information at: http://www.wish.org or the southern Florida website at: http://www.wish.org/southernfla
How do Wishes Come True?
A Wish is limited only to a child's imagination. Make-A-Wish provides the structure, but it's the child's request that determines how our volunteers will turn the dream into a reality. Volunteer teams work out the details of every wish. The Foundation relies on in-kind and cash donation from individuals and corporations a well as the generous donation of time from celebrities. Make-A-Wish has built a tree house, created a prom fantasy weekend, sent children to meet their favorite celebrities and of course hundreds of magical visit to Walt Disney World. Make-A-Wish has never turned down a wish for a medically eligible child.
Omega Beta Phi Sorority and Make-A-Wish Foundation:
Omega Beta Phi adopted the Make-A-Wish Foundation as their official philanthropy in 2000. Since then the chapter a raised hundreds of dollars with events such as:
"That Thing" Benefit Concert
The "WISH" Wall
And The Mock "Jail and Bail"