Every year in April, this caring and dedicated Make-A-Wish® community comes together to celebrate World Wish Month™. And on April 29, we celebrate World Wish Day® – it’s a day that couldn’t be closer to my heart – because it’s the day my son Chris’ wish to be a police officer came true.

His wish was the one that inspired it all. So as we look forward to celebrating 44 years of granting wishes this World Wish Month, I wanted to share a bit more about how Chris’ wish kick-started wish granting for the thousands of children who have now experienced the life-changing power of a wish through Make-A-Wish.

Today, it fills my heart with so much joy and gratitude to know that Make-A-Wish has granted hundreds of thousands of wishes in Chris’ honor. These experiences are so much more than just a fun day. I’ve experienced firsthand the impact of a wish on the lives of children and their families as they go through the most difficult moments of a medical journey. Wishes bring comfort and strength when they’re needed most – and they can even lead to better health outcomes and better odds of overcoming an illness.

But none of these wishes are possible without the generosity of supporters like you. So please, in honor of World Wish Month and my son Chris, I’m personally asking you to make a donation and have it DOUBLED by our partners at Vivid Seats, up to $250,000, through their charitable foundation Vivid Cheers, to provide more kids with the kind of strength and hope that can only be found in a wish.

I am so deeply grateful for you. Thank you for everything you’ve done to continue Chris’ life-changing legacy.

Linda Pauling
Mother of Chris, whose wish inspired the founding of Make-A-Wish