The Impacts of Make-A-Wish

The+Impacts+of+Make-A-Wish

Fatima Al-Sammak, Editor-in-Chief

Make-A-Wish is a nonprofit organization based and established in the United States. Its goal is to be able to grant the wishes of kids with life-threatening medical conditions and to change their lives for the better. The wishes range over a wide spectrum and could go from sending the kid to an amusement park like Disneyland to even sending them to another country. Also, because the foundation is 501 nonprofit one, it works off people’s donations in order to be able to grant the kids’ wishes. Such profits could come from a variety of donors, and our own Lincoln Northeast happens to be a major contributor to the Make-A-Wish foundation as the school’s student council sends what equates to be about $2,000 to the foundation every year. This is done by holding a major event for the school every year on January in order to collect money for the organization.

The impact Make-A-Wish has on kids and their families is tremendous as they work to bring the kids and their relatives joy with every wish granted. And according to a survey done in 2011 and given to a wide array of people ranging from doctors, to family members, to volunteers, it has been proven that each granted wish gives the child the ability to fight back even harder against the disease. This is because the granted wish shows the child, and her/his family, the importance of life and all the great experiences it has to offer, encouraging the child to fight harder for his/her life. Not only that, but both the kid and the family members alike will be exposed to more happiness and less fear in their lives.

The Make-A-Wish foundation was first established in 1980 and since then, more than 270,000 wishes have been granted. And the most ever had been in 2015 when the organization managed to grant 14,800 wishes in just that year. Interestingly enough, the Walt Disney Company is involved in at least half of those wishes. But whether it is a trip to Walt Disney or a trip to Italy, the Make-A-Wish foundation will continue to work harder than ever to bring happiness and joy to each and every child associated with the program.