MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF THE MID- SOUTH INC
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Mission Statement
Make-A-Wish® Mid-South creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. The Mid-South chapter is one of 60 chapters across the United States and is part of the largest wish granting organization in the world. Since 1986, Make-A-Wish Mid-South has granted more than 4,500 wishes to children with critical illness. Each wish experience is unique for the child, the family and Make-A-Wish®.
About This Cause
Each wish experience is unique for the child, the family and Make-A-Wish®. There is a general four-step process by which a child is referred, qualified and granted a wish. The referral: We rely on medical professionals, parents and children themselves for referrals. Children between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 who have not had a wish granted by another organization are eligible. Medical eligibility: We rely on the child’s acting physician to determine the medical eligibility of the child. The child must have a critical illness, defined as a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition. There are no other necessary qualifications, including sex, race or socioeconomic status. Finding the child’s one true wish: We send a wish team consisting of two volunteer Wish Granters to meet the wish child and his/her family to identify the child’s wish. Creating joy: Our Wish Granters work hard to create the most magical wish experience that enriches the lives of not only the child, but everyone involved! Make-A-Wish Mid-South has granted over 4,500 wishes since its inception, and will grant more than 300 wishes this year. Wish costs vary according to the type of wish, but the average cost of a wish is currently over $8000. All expenses of a wish are covered by Make-A-Wish, giving the wish kid and family a respite from the stress of dealing with a critical illness. Make-A-Wish Mid-South needs more than 4 million air miles each year for wishes involving travel. Airline miles from Delta, Continental, United and US Airways may be donated online at midsouth.wish.org. Eighty-two cents of every dollar is allocated to wish-granting! Thanks to cash and in-kind contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, clubs and service organizations, etc., our fiscal integrity equals more wishes granted. Typically, wishes fall into five categories: to go (e.g., Walt Disney World® Resort, trip to Paris); to meet (e.g., a favorite celebrity, athlete); to be (e.g., a Secret Service Agent, zookeeper); to have (e.g., puppy, playhouse); and to give. A wish through the eyes of a child is much more than going somewhere, meeting or being someone, or having something. It is an adventure, a thought-provoking process all in an effort to answer the ultimate question: If I could have anything in the world, what would I wish for? Wish families agree that the anticipation of having the ultimate wish experience becomes a distraction from painful medical treatments and burdensome doctor and hospital visits. A wish is an escape into the creative realm that a child so deserves to live in without worrying about their health and well-being. While each wish is designed to be special for a specific child, the positive impact on their lives is the same. Even the majority of medical professionals agree that a wish can influence a child’s physical health. Almost all families report their child’s wish strengthened their families and made their child happy, and many credit the wish experience as a “turning point in their children’s response to treatment”. The Make-A-Wish® mission and message are about the life-affirming, hope-giving aspects of the wish experience. We never use the words “terminal” or “dying” to refer to a wish child, nor do we unduly emphasize a child’s illness, medical treatment or death.