Rotarians learn making a dream
come true is goal of Make-A-Wish
January 16, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Making a dream come true for a child with a life-threatening illness is more than indulging a wish... it could be the first step on the path to recovery. Santa Paula Rotarians learned at a recent meeting about the Tri-Counties Make-A-Wish Foundation from Elizabeth Arellano, developmental director, who told of the various ways people can help fulfill a sick child’s dream.
Arellano told Rotarians that the Tri-Counties chapter started locally with Linda and John Jensen of Camarillo, who were accompanying their Make-A-Wish son Jon, 7, on a flight.
“When the pilots learned Jon was being flown to the destination of his dreams,” the family’s seats were upgraded to first class and Jon was invited to visit the cockpit.
After Jon’s visit to Kennedy Space Center, a trip made possible by the Los Angeles chapter, the boy lost his battle with neuroblastoma. Shortly thereafter, in 1985 the Jensens spearheaded the local chapter to serve children with life-threatening medical conditions in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
Since that time the Tri-Counties Make-A-Wish had granted the wishes of 1,300 children including numerous children that live in Santa Paula.
Arellano said the “Impacts of Make-A-Wish impacts everyone,” with 96 percent of those families with a Wish child reporting emotional improvement, physicians report 89 percent of the Wish children show a health improvement and 97 percent give positive responses that their Wish family has been strengthened by the shared experience.
Wish children are 2 1/2 to 18 and must go through an eligibility process and the four-step wish process.
The program relies on medical professionals, parents and children themselves for referrals.
A child’s medical eligibility is determined with the help of the treating physician; to receive a wish, the child must be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition (i.e. a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that has placed the child’s life in jeopardy).
The third step is determining the Wish and the foundation sends “one of our enthusiastic wish teams to learn the child’s one true wish.”
These committed Wish volunteers connect with the Wish children, awaken their imaginations and help them envision an experience with the power to change lives.
Wish Granters create an unforgettable experience driven by the child’s creativity and strive to personalize each wish and to make it match the Wish kid’s idea of a perfect day.
The fourth step is “Creating Joy” through the Wish, often a Disneyland visit, the most popular experience among Wish children.
“We do enhancements and Disney does enhancements,” so the experience includes private visits with famed Disney characters and tours of the “Happiest Place on Earth,” which often is also the most expensive place on earth for lower income families.
Other corporations such as Mattel Corporation have enthusiastically embraced Make-A-Wish and have also been generous with product, venue and entertainment.
According to the Tri-Counties Make-A-Wish website, “Wishes are more than just a nice thing. And they are far more than gifts, or singular events in time. Wishes impact everyone involved - wish kids, volunteers, donors, sponsors, medical professionals and communities. The impact varies. For Wish kids, just the act of making their wish come true can give them the courage to comply with their medical treatments. Parents might finally feel like they can be optimistic. And still others might realize all they have to offer the world through volunteer work or philanthropy.
“Whatever the odds, whatever the obstacles ... Wishes find a way to make the world better.”
But the foundation needs support to continue to grant wishes and Arellano said there are various methods of giving, whether through adopting a fundraiser, donating frequent miles to Wishes in Flight, creating an online fundraiser in honor of a special event, person or occasion and donations of time as a Wish Granter or money.
Arellano noted the foundation is also starting “Kids For A Wish” program to get children K-12 involved in fundraising to ensure the wishes of other children come true.
“We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy,” said Arellano.
For more information visit: http://tri-counties.wish.org/ or call (805) 676-9474.
