Quick Facts
The mission of Make-A-Wish® Eastern Ontario is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
Who We Are
- Make-A-Wish is a highly recognized international wish granting organization with affiliates granting wishes in 50 countries worldwide.
- Make-A-Wish® was founded in Phoenix Arizona in 1980.
- Founded in 1983, Make-A-Wish® Canada consists of eight regional chapters and a national office.
- Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 310,000 wishes worldwide.
- Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Canada has granted more than 5,200 wishes to Canadian children.
- Today, Make-A-Wish Canada grants approximately one wish a day across the country.
How it all Began
- Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario got started with a little girl named Patricia who got her wish for a trip to Walt Disney World® Resort in 1997.
- Maureen MacArthur organized a group of volunteers to form the Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario board and the new chapter was officially incorporated and granted charitable status on 1 January 1999.
Make-A-Wish Canada History
- 1980: The inspiration for Make-A-Wish was a wish granted to seven-year-old Christopher Greicius by members of the Arizona Highway Patrol. Christopher who had leukemia, wished to become a police officer.
- 1983: Make-A-Wish Canada is established with a chapter in British Columbia. The first wish in Canada to Debbie, aged 13, suffering from leukemia. Debbie chose to go to Germany with her father and brother to see her grandparents
- 1986: Southwestern Ontario Chapter established in London, Ont.
- 1992: Make-A-Wish Canada, the national governing body and Make-A-Wish® International established.
- 1993-2000: Establishment of five new chapters in Canada - Toronto and Central Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Northern Ontario, Northern Alberta and Southern Alberta.
- 2001: Establishment of new chapters in Quebec and Atlantic Provinces (serving Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland).
Unique Features of Make-A-Wish
- We ensure the wish is very personal, involves the family and is free from financial worries.
- Make-A-Wish encourages the entire family to be a part of the wish experience, knowing that parents and siblings need magical moments just as much as the wish child.
- We do not receive government funding but rely on donations from individuals, corporations, grants and bequests to support our wish granting activities.
- We do not participate in chain letters, door-to-door solicitations, or telemarketing.
- We do not solicit wishes. Wishes are referred to us through the medical community or the child's relatives.
- We do not embark on "group" wishes. All wishes are individual and based on the child's chosen wish.
