In Sunday's Vision section, I wrote about two exceptional teenage girls I met recently, Chelsea Harkness and Kristina Fisher. Both are cancer survivors and both have had the good fortune to get wishes granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Kristina was given her horse, Paint, when she was just 3 and Chelsea got to meet Britney Spears. These were life-affirming events for both girls during a very difficult time. Chelsea was battling leukemia at the time and Kristina had an inoperable brain tumor.
On Monday morning, I got the nicest e-mail from Diana Rambo, the new executive director for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central California. She did such a good job of explaining the needs and the mission of this organization, so I'll just share it all with you in her own words:
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so pleased with your article, although very saddened about the situation with Kristina and Paint.
"I have been so concerned over the last few months about getting our story out -- the fact that all the funds raised here stay local to make wishes come true for Central Valley children with life-threatening medical conditions, and the fact that we are not grant or government funded. It's also important for people to know that in 20 years we have never turned down an eligible child (a physician must certify that the child has a "life threatening" medical condition). The Central California chapter has now granted over 951 wishes since 1986 and the need has become greater and greater each year.
This year alone over 100 children will be referred to our organization.
In addition to the obvious need for funding, we are always looking for volunteers all over the Valley (Merced to Bakersfield) to become wish granters - those are the individuals who contact the families after the child has become eligible for a wish. They meet the family and work with the child to find out what their heart's desire will be. There are four kinds of wishes -- I want to be, I want to go, I want to have, I want to meet. After the wish is determined, ( the physician must approve the wish also) the actual details of the wish are handled by staff, but the volunteers can be involved as much as they want to (wish announcement, send off parties for travel wishes, or purchasing and delivering a horse, for example).
Our volunteers tell us over and over how heart-warming these experiences are, and I too can attest to that now that I have been on my own wish visits. We know that in granting a favorite wish, the Make-A-Wish Foundation will be providing the wish child and family with extra special memories of joy and laughter, which are in dramatic contrast to the hospitals, doctors, and treatment programs. A wish offers a welcome respite - a time for just plain fun! And a wish creates memories that last a lifetime and help the children as they have to endure further treatments. Our mission is to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.
If you would like to help out with this worthy cause, here are the details on contacting Diana:
Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Central California; 83 E. Shaw Ave., Ste. 202; Fresno, CA 93710; (559) 221-9474 (WISH); (559) 221-9472 fax; (559) 803-5151 cell.
Beautiful story. Good luck to all!