Make-A-Wish traces its inspiration to Christopher James Greicius, an energetic 7-year-old boy battling leukemia who wishes to be a police officer. In 1980, his Phoenix community came together to make his wish come true. Little did Chris know that his wish would create a movement that would transform millions of lives.
Today, Make-A-Wish has been granting life-changing wishes for children and families for over 40 years. After the start of Make-A-Wish in 1980 in the United States, Make-A-Wish International was officially formed in 1993 to serve five countries outside the U.S. – and now helps to serve children outside the United States in 50 countries on 6 continents through its 40 Affiliates.
With the help of our donors and more than 27,000 volunteers around the world, Make-A-Wish has collectively granted more than 585,000 wishes worldwide.
As a global community, we are focused on the impact of a wish in every phase of the Wish Journey. Wishes have proven physical and emotional benefits that can give children with critical illnesses a higher chance of survival. And wishes not only help these children – they also have far-reaching, positive impacts on their families and communities. In other words, wishes are the driving force behind all we do because, put simply, wish experiences transform lives.
Thank you to his mother, Linda Pauling, the Greicius family and the founders for their tireless dedication to our mission!
