“I Wish To Have…” Gift and Shopping Spree Specifics
Your wish child has chosen a gift wish! Gift wishes can be as anything from a Gaming System to a playhouse. The important part of a gift wish is to fully understanding all the elements of the wish child’s desires. Ask Questions. How do you envision the gift will look and how would you like to use the gift? What specific things are important? A wish for a gift is not just the gift itself, but the entire experience of receiving the perfect gift at the perfect time in the perfect place.
Live animals
As you might imagine, the gift of a live animal is a wish that we consider carefully. To ensure the wish child’s and pet’s safety, the Foundation has established a process that actively involves the family in the identification, selection and commitment to long-term care of a new pet. The family must be actively involved in the selection of the pet, and other vendors associated with the pet’s care. The family is expected to work with Make-A-Wish to locate the desired pet. The wish includes a certified healthy pet, accessories, and food for one year.
“I Wish to Have…” enhancements
- Surprise or unique delivery of wish item: i.e. deliver in parade or by race car
- Theme party with favorite food/cake
- Delivered by special person
- Decorate delivery truck with balloons, banners
- Accessories for the wish item
- See Theme Party section for more enhancement ideas
Enhancement ideas: Enhancement ideas come easy when preparing for a new member of the family. Following is an excerpt from a wish report where seven year-old Lena was given a 12-week-old Havanese puppy. The volunteers for this wish decided to host a “puppy shower”.
Plans for the party had started by this point and oh, what a party it was going to be! This was not going to be just any party but a surprise "Puppy Shower" for Lena and her dog that although she had no idea she was getting, had already been given the name "Skittles" by Lena herself. With February 9th set as the party date a lot had to be done during the week. Volunteers sent out some quick invitations to close friends and family, scheduled Lena to visit a ceramics store to paint food and water dishes for the dog she would someday get, and arranged for many community businesses to donate food for the party, a beautiful cake with a picture of Skittles on it, a dog house, more dog accessories than you can imagine and food for little Skittles for a year! Yes, this was all done in just over a week!
Livestock wishes, such as horses, cows and other farm animals are handled on a case-by-case basis. If your family is considering a wish of this type, your Wish Coordinator has a specific packet of information outlining expectations for the family to consider. Your Wish Coordinator will work with you to ensure that all information is thoroughly reviewed with the family before considering a livestock wish.
Wish presentation
I wish to have and I wish to be Wish Presentation budget: $150 is maximum cash budget (including gratuity!)
While we do have a cash budget for a wish presentation, our hope is that you can make a variety of “asks” to the community and restaurant managers and find those who are most excited to participate in the wish through an in-kind donation! There is no limit to the amount of in-kind expense incurred (as long as it is not in the range of a second wish), so be creative and ask for in-kind donations whenever possible.