Kids For Wish Kids

What is Kids For Wish Kids^®?

Kids For Wish Kids^® is a program for kids who, in their own special way, help other kids who have life-threatening medical conditions. It is uniquely designed for K-12 school students, student organizations and other youth groups such as scout troops, vacation bible schools and day care centers.

Children and students of all ages create ideas for fund raisers and manage the projects with little or no help from their teachers, leaders or supervisors. Along the way, children experience the joy of giving, develop school spirit, learn lots of skills, and work together toward a common goal while making a wish come true.

FEATURED SCHOOL!

The NCAA Division II, Dowling College Athletics and the Dowling Men’s Lacrosse Team, have begun the 2nd Annual Wishmakers Fall Classic, sponsored by adidas. October 18th marked three matches held at Golden Lions Field at Brookhaven. All proceeds from the  gate as well as money raised from 50/50 and prize raffles, concession sales, and merchandise will help grant the wish of Andy, a 9 year-old from Mastic who wished to go to Disney this November. Additional fundraising has been held by the Women’s Basketball, Men’s Soccer, Men’s Basketball, SAAC and Women’s Tennis presently reaching over $8,000! One third of the way to their goal of raising $24,000 this year.

Presenting a special bronze star commemorating a wish come true is wish child, Gabriella, who visited on game day to speak of her wish come true. Gabriella’s wish to meet Taylor Swift came true this past October. Gabriella’s words that day:

“Hello and Good Morning. My name is Gabriella. I’m 13 years old. Welcome to Dowling College. At birth I was diagnosed with Tethered Cord Syndrome a form of Spina Bifida. Since I was little I have had numerous surgeries on my back and foot.
I’m here speaking on behalf of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Some of you know what this foundation is about. For those of you that don’t, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes for ill children. I became a wish child about a year ago. My dream and wish to meet Taylor Swift came true 3 weeks ago. My family and I flew to Michigan. I met Taylor Swift the second day. I took pictures with her and the dresses she wore in 3 of her videos and her ballroom gown. I saw her concert and she personally signed my guitar. Through all of this I was so nervous but yet so excited. I felt like a little girl again with no worries. Just living life. I was smiling and laughing the whole time.
Make-A-Wish could not have done more for my family and I. Even after your wish has been granted, Make-A-Wish will never forget about you and your family. They make you feel apart of a great big extended family.
On behalf of myself and all of the other wish children and their families, I would like to personally thank the staff, all of the volunteers, and the community for their dedication and their support. Because of all of your love for children, their dreams can come true.”
Many thanks to Dowling for their successful efforts in helping local childrens’ dreams come true.

How to Start Kids For Wish Kids in Your School or Organization

If you would like to start a Kids For Wish Kids project in your school or with your organization, we would be happy to help. Here are some tips to get started:

• Invite a Make-A-Wish^® representative to give a presentation at your school. We have speakers and informational videos that explain our mission. Once students find out about the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® they are usually eager to become involved.
• Designate a Make-A-Wish^® committee or one person to be in charge. This is an important step. An organized, enthusiastic group or chairperson will keep the project on track. If you¹re planning to do several fund raisers over a period of time, consider having different students be in charge of each project. This is great way to keep everyone involved and on track toward your fund raising goal. A paper thermometer is a great method to use. It’s also a great motivator for everyone to see how you’re progressing toward your goal.
• Challenge other homerooms, classes or schools. This is a great way to get more students involved in your fund raiser. The more students involved, the more fun it can be and the more successful your fund raiser will be.

Kids For Wish Kids^® Project Ideas

Here are some fun and successful ideas that other schools have used.

• Have a Dance Marathon.
• Have a Teacher Dress Down Day.
• Have a Make-A-Wish Fun Run.
• Have a Paper Chain Link Contest
• Have a Hat Day.
• Sell Candy-Grams.
• Sell Make-A-Wish Cut-Outs.
• Sell Make-A-Wish Awareness Wristbands
• Have a Read-A-Thon.
• Have a Bowl-A-Thon.

You can try one of these project ideas or plan a Kids For Wish Kids® project of your own. If you have any ideas that worked for your school or organization, please let us know, and we¹ll pass them on.
For more ideas, contact Jim or Diane at 631-585-WISH.

Click Here for the Kids For Wish Kids^® Activity Form!

ATTENTION ALL TEACHERS

Make-A-Wish^® is seeking bi-lingual volunteers who are fluent in Spanish to assist us in granting wishes to children in the Latin community. To learn more about how you can help, please call us at 631-585-9474 or email us at wishmail@makeawish-suffolkny.org.