Background Statement
This year, Make-A-Wish Colorado celebrates 40 years of granting wishes! Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Colorado has enriched the lives of more than 6,350 children with critical illnesses. Wishes have a life-changing impact on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors and entire communities.
Make-A-Wish Colorado is an affiliate of the largest wish-granting organization in the world. There are 60 Make-A-Wish chapters located throughout the U.S. and 39 International Make-A-Wish affiliates located on five continents. Since its inception in 1980, more than 315,000 wishes have been granted, with a wish being granted every 34 minutes somewhere in the world.
To qualify for a wish, the child must be older than 2.5 years old and younger than 18 (at the time of referral) and must not have received a wish from another wish-granting organization. A child can be referred to Make-A-Wish by a parent or guardian, a medical professional or by the child. Following referral, a physician must certify that the child has a life-threatening medical condition. There are no other qualifications based on sex, race, religion, socioeconomic status or any other demographic category.
Children's wishes typically fall into four categories: I Wish To Be, I Wish To Meet, I Wish To Have or I Wish To Go.
The Make-A-Wish mission and message are about the life-affirming, hope-giving aspects of the wish experience. We never use the words "terminal" or "dying" to refer to a wish child, nor do we unduly emphasize a child's illness, medical treatment or death.