Make-A-Wish Utah creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
“A wish is a tool; a mechanism to help children be more resilient as they battle their life-threatening medical condition,” says Daniel Dudley, Chief Development Officer. “Medical professionals frequently call on Make-A-Wish to be an important component of a child’s treatment plan.”
Wishes can take many forms, from dream vacations to elaborate playhouses and everything in between. The one trait shared by any wish is that its impact lasts longer than just one day. A prime example is a wish recently granted for wish teen Julia, who chose the rarest wish type of all, a wish to give.
“Julia went through a special education program in her school and found a lot of success through specific tools,” says Jenny Heffner, Wish Coordinator. “She wished to recreate that successful environment for schools that may not have the resources to provide it.”
For her wish, Julia compiled 22 special education classroom kits made up of specific items that helped her feel comfortable in school. With the help of Make-A-Wish Utah, Julia was able to donate these kits to low-income classrooms around the state, to help teachers enrich the lives of their students.
The Players
Julia’s kits included writing supplies, recordable buttons, noise canceling headphones and more. Long-standing partners of Make-A-Wish Utah, Skullcandy and 3M, were quick to donate applicable supplies for the kits, as well as funds to help grant other wishes.
“Skullcandy’s give back program was honored that Julia wanted to include our Noise Canceling Hesh ANC product in her kits,” said Ben Williams, Program Manager at Skullcandy. “[Our team is] stoked knowing that our products can and are making a difference in peoples’ lives.”
“It has been a treat to work with Julia and the Make-A-Wish organization,” said Brooks Tingey, Global Marketing Director at 3M. “Julia is an inspiration to all!”
How to Get Involved
Wishes are an important and necessary component of a child’s healing process. More children are waiting for a wish than ever before and wishes only come true through the generosity of our community.
Make-A-Wish Utah needs the engagement of individuals, local companies, and community organizations to provide the financial resources to create life-changing experiences for children with critical illnesses. Find out more at wish.org/utah, or contact Make-A-Wish Utah at info@utah.wish.org.
Make-A-Wish Utah
@makeawishutah
