Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire

HISTORY: On April 29, 1980, 7-year-old Chris Greicius of Phoenix, Arizona, received his wish to be a police officer for a day after having been diagnosed with leukemia. Shortly thereafter, those who had been involved in granting Chris’ wish decided they wanted to create the same magic for other ill children, and the idea for Make-A-Wish® was born.

With the help of generous donors and more than 35,000 volunteers in the United States, Make-A-Wish grants a wish every 34 minutes and has granted more than 300,000 wishes in the U.S. since 1980. Sixty local

Make-A-Wish chapters serve every community in the United States and there are 42 international affiliates. Established in 1983, Make-A-Wish® Orange County and the Inland Empire has granted more than 6,000 wishes to children living in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

ELIGIBILITY: Any child is eligible who has reached the age of 2½ and is younger than 18 at the time of referral, who is verified by a physician to have a critical illness (i.e., one that is progressive, degenerative or malignant) and who has not previously been granted a wish by any wish-granting organization. We can accept referrals from the potential wish child, the child’s parent or legal guardian, the child’s Health Care Professional, or another member of the child’s family who has detailed information to make the referral.

THE WISH: A specially trained volunteer team interviews each child to determine their one most heartfelt wish. Once approval is received by the doctor, the wish granting process begins. A wish can take anywhere from a few days to a much longer time to complete, depending on the child’s request.

AVERAGE WISH COST: The average cash cost to fulfill a child’s wish is $7,500 plus an additional $2,000 in in-kind donations. The chapter covers all wish costs. Make-A-Wish does not receive public funds for the wishes it grants. Critically needed donations come from individuals, corporations and foundations, community fundraisers and gifts of products or services. All funds raised in our chapter are used to help grant local wishes. More than 81% of the money received goes to granting wishes.