Essay On Make A Wish Foundation

During tough times one looks for the light at the end of the tunnel to get through their difficulties. The Make-A-Wish Foundation doesn’t just provide a light, but a full gap, in that tunnel. Make-A-Wish uses donated funds to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses in order to give that child an escape in the tough time they’re going through. Critics of this foundation say that the funds should be going to finding a cure for their illnesses, especially cancer research, instead of for frivolous wishes. Although funding cancer research is indispensable for the future, funding for the Make-A-Wish Foundation is more important for the present because it provides irreplaceable experiences for children who may not live long enough to see a cure.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation originated in 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona when an ill 7-year old boy had his wish granted by a local group to become a state trooper for a day (Wasson). Since that first wish the foundation has done everything in its power to fulfill the mission statement to “grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy” (Ward). The recipients of these wishes cannot just be anyone though; there are certain wish qualifications. A child must be between the ages of two and a half to eighteen years old when they get referred to the foundation. The child has to be referred to the foundation by a parent or guardian, a medical professional, or they can refer themselves. There is absolutely no qualification based on sex, race, religion, or socioeconomic status (Wish Impact & Facts). Now, in the year 2014, the country has seen the Make-A-Wish Foundation grow from a small organization in Arizon...

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...dy been through so much? These children have been through hospital trips, countless tests, and feelings of defeat and weakness. Make-A-Wish has the ability to block out the bad memories and replace them with a fun and lasting memory; whereas a cure would heal them physically but does nothing emotionally or mentally to restore confidence and empowerment in the child. Executive director of a Make-A-Wish Indiana Chapter, Brooke Billingsley, perfectly described the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s efforts when she said that the foundation is “…that spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down and we offer them an incentive to get better,” (Wasson). Funding research for life-threatening diseases is important but, for the sake of those already diagnosed with these diseases, funding for the unforgettable experiences that the Make-A-Wish Foundation provides is more important.