'A wish for hope and joy': Make-A-Wish aims to support 100 local kids

Sometimes hope starts with something as simple as a wish. Make-A-Wish East Tennessee is hosting its Summer of Wishes campaign to serve local children in the area, with more than 100 kids on the waitlist in the Tri-Cities region. Make-A-Wish is a nonprofit organization that grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, providing experiences designed to bring hope, joy and emotional support to children and their families. Major Gift Officer Dessi Ford said the Summer of Wishes campaign was created to raise awareness while connecting businesses, organizations and individuals with children waiting for their wishes to be granted. "We're running a campaign now through the end of August, and the goal is to fund all of the wishes that we have on our waiting list," Ford said. "We currently have almost 100 wishes in East Tennessee, spread between 36 counties that we serve, from Chattanooga to the North Carolina line." Ford said the organization serves children living with critical illnesses who often spend significant time receiving medical care, giving families something positive to focus on during difficult times. "It brings such joy and such hope to children that haven't really had a lot of that…" she said. "Life consists of doctor visits and tough conversations at home, and then, all of a sudden, the child and the family have something really exciting to talk about." While the campaign is recurring each summer, Ford said this year's effort differs by matching sponsors with children in their own communities. "We broke down all of the wishes on our wish list by county," she said. "We're trying to find people that will sponsor one of the wishes for a child in their specific county." The campaign follows a record-setting year for the East Tennessee chapter, which has already granted more wishes than at any point in its history while continuing to work through its waiting list. When asked if there is a special need in the area, Ford said the region was on par with most, though there are continued opportunities for outreach. "There's a lot of children that would qualify for a wish, but just are never referred to us," Ford said. "That's a problem that we do have here in East Tennessee. We calculated there's about 90 children per year that would qualify for a wish if they just knew about it." She said those missed referrals often stem from misconceptions about how Make-A-Wish operates. "I think it's a misconception that Make-A-Wish America kind of covers all the wishes for children, but what a lot of people don't know is that we actually have individual chapters all over the United States that grant the specific wishes in their counties that they serve," she said. "We know that there's great people, organizations, churches and civic groups in all of these counties that can rally together to find a wish for a child." Ford also said many people mistakenly believe Make-A-Wish only serves children who are terminally ill. "Over 75 percent of our children go on to live long and fulfilling lives," she said. "This isn't a last wish; it's a wish for hope and joy." Children can request nearly anything, Ford said, and the impact often extends well beyond the child to their families and communities as well. "For me, it's been a real joy to watch the parents watch their child get a wish," Ford said. "Because sometimes children are really resilient and it's kind of all they know a lot of the time — they're living with some kind of critical illness, but they're used to it. I think parents and their families often suffer a lot and that's overlooked." In Washington County, about five children are waiting for wishes, with trips to Walt Disney World and Myrtle Beach among the most common requests. Sullivan County has about seven wishes, including a trip to London and a mission to hold a koala in Australia. Carter County has three wishes, including a fishing trip to Montana, while Hawkins County has about three pending wishes. "We had an incredible child in Greenville, Tennessee, who wanted to have a shopping spree," Ford said. "He could buy anything he wanted. He saw a 75-inch TV, and he asked me if he could have it. It was so amazing to just say, 'yes, you can have it if you want it.'" She said another child in Knoxville wished for a hot tub. "That just made her day, and just to watch her splash around and go under the water — she just didn't have a care in the world," she said. "It was amazing." Bedroom makeovers and family vacations are also among the organization's most popular wishes, according to Ford. "We just had a Wish family that went to Montana for a big fly fishing trip, and they did horseback riding and went to Yellowstone," she said. "It's just family memories that mean so much." Ford encouraged community members to consider supporting the campaign, noting that granting those wishes depends on community support. "There's a lot of great organizations in this area that people can give money to, but I would love to encourage some people to really check out Make-A-Wish East Tennessee, and what we're doing and to consider us in their philanthropic gifts," she said. "We are good stewards of the funds, and we are making a difference in these children's lives." Those interested in sponsoring a wish can learn more at wish.org/etn or contact Ford at dford@etn.wish.org.