For a child whose wish is about to be granted, the pain and discomfort of the illness and often harsh treatment regimes somehow become more bearable. For many, the excitement of planning and anticipating their dream has a dramatic effect on their healing. These courageous youngsters often experience a renewed sense of energy and hope as they see a different kind of light at the end of the tunnel.
In order to be eligible for a wish, a child must be:
• between the ages of 3 and 17
• a legal Canadian resident and diagnosed with a critical illness that meets our eligibility criteria including certain serious genetic and neurological diagnoses.
• A wish is a once in a lifetime experience, therefore, a child who has previously received a wish is not eligible.
Referrals come from parents, family members or the network of doctors, nurses and social workers engaged with the child. Anyone else wishing to refer a child needs to go through one of these channels to move a referral forward.
Telemarketing is a great way to reach out to people in communities across Canada. We work with Inspire Fundraising Solutions, who conduct our telemarketing campaigns on our behalf. Through telemarketing, we can enrich relationships with our existing donors and raise funds that enable us to continue the important work we do to provide hope to children with critical illnesses by granting even more wishes.
We take the security of your personal details very seriously and have measures in place to protect them. Our telemarking partner, Inspire Fundraising Solutions, is compliant under the PCI Industry Data Security Standards and adheres to a strict set of rules and regulations regarding credit card information which are the same ones that your bank follows.
Feel free to reach out to our Donor Care team who will confirm our partnership with Inspire Fundraising Solutions and will be happy to address all your questions and concerns.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-888-822-9474
Wishes vary in expense by virtue of their variety and complexity. For example, a travel wish generally involves transportation and accommodations for immediate family members, as well as meals and expenses. In addition, any necessary medical expenses such as wheelchairs, respirators, and even medical attendants are covered.
Administration costs are necessary to run a national organization; however, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Canada is committed to keeping these costs to a minimum. The ratio of operational to program costs fluctuates from year to year to some degree. The most recent figures can be found through our Impact Report on our media and publications page.
The wish truly belongs to the child, though we work with medical teams to support wish children and their families as they determine what wishes will bring the most joy.
Our most popular wishes include travel, entertainment centers, computer systems, and meeting celebrities.
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Canada does not participate in chain letters or door-to-door fundraising to support the granting of wishes. As of January 2023, Make-A-Wish does engage in telemarketing through our partnership with Inspire Fundraising Direct. (See telemarketing FAQ below for more details). Frequently, Make-A-Wish Chapters receive inquiries regarding chain letters claiming to be associated with Make-A-Wish. As a matter of policy Make-A-Wish does not conduct these types of wishes including using the Internet and e-mail requests.
Please reply to the sender and inform them that the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Canada does not participate in these kinds of wishes. Refer the sender and all recipients to this (web) page. Please do not forward the chain letter.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had long-lasting effects on our ability to immediately grant all wishes, though we strive to be ready to grant a child’s wish, as soon as medical approval is received. Given the logistics involved, most wishes take a few weeks to arrange. However, in an emergency situation, we can fulfill a wish in a matter of days.
The critical illnesses most often experienced by wish children are leukemia, Cystic Fibrosis, and brain tumors.
Make-A-Wish granted over 1,000 individual wishes last year. Since our founding in 1983, we have granted more than 37,000 wishes to Canadian children.
You can download a copy of the most recent Annual Impact Report, as well as reports from previous years by clicking here.
At the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Canada, we are committed to providing excellent service to our donors, volunteers, wish families and partners. We recognize that concerns about our programs and policies may occasionally arise. We value your input and encourage you to take the time to provide feedback. If you have a complaint or concern, please contact us at 1-888-822-9474