Wish Process
Although each wish experience is unique, there is a general procedure by which a child is referred, qualified, and granted a wish.
STEP 1 - The Wish Referral
The Make-A-Wish Foundation® accepts wish referrals from:
- The child
- A parent/guardian
- A medical professional (for example, a nurse or doctor, social worker or child-life specialist)
If the initial referral comes from someone other than those listed above, we always ask that the family be notified to refer directly on their own behalf. We never make the initial contact to families at this sensitive time of coping with a life-threatening illness.
STEP 2 - Determining Eligibility
Any child between the ages of 2½ and 18 with a life-threatening medical condition may be eligible for a wish. The child cannot have received a previous wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation or any other wish-granting organization.
STEP 3 - Identifying the Wish
Once confirmed as eligible, we assign a team of volunteers to coordinate the wish experience. During their first visit with a child, they will ask “If you could have one wish, what would it be?” We let the child choose exactly what he/she would like for their wish. Usually, wishes are limited only by a child’s imagination.
Most wishes fall into four main categories:
To Have – Examples of this type include wishes to have a computer, a party, or a shopping spree.
To Go – This is our most popular wish. Examples include wishes to go to Disney World, Hawaii or on cruises.
To Meet –Examples of this type include wishes to meet a professional athlete, musician, actor, or other popular celebrity. Sometimes this type of wish also includes meeting relatives that the child has never met before!
To Be – Examples of this type include wishes to be a policeman, ballerina, doctor, or other occupation that the child finds fascinating.
STEP 4 - Wish Approval
After the child tells us what their wish is, the request goes through an internal approval process and the wish is verified with the child’s physician to make sure it is medically appropriate.
STEP 5 - Granting the Wish
After the wish is approved, the volunteer wish-granting team sets out to create a magical wish experience!
Thank you to KSTP and the Channel 5 Eyewitness News team for your engagement in Make-A-Wish® Minnesota’s Season of Wishes® campaign and involvement in this year’s Rice Park Tree Lighting event! KSTP and the Channel 5 Eyewitness News team support our mission by sharing heart-warming wish stories and providing promotion through commercials. We appreciate KSTP and the Channel 5 Eyewitness News team’s continuing support of our mission all year long and especially during the holiday season.
