MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION OF WISCONSININC
11020 W PLANK COURT NO 200, WAUWATOSA, WI 53226 www.wisconsin.wish.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TOGETHER, WE CREATE LIFE-CHANGING WISHES FOR CHILDREN WITH CRITICAL ILLNESSES.

WE GRANT THE WISHES OF CHILDREN WITH LIFE-THREATENING MEDICAL CONDITIONS TO ENRICH THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE WITH HOPE, STRENGTH AND JOY. ACCORDING TO A NATIONAL STUDY, A WISH COME TRUE HELPS CHILDREN FEEL STRONGER, MORE ENERGETIC, MORE WILLING AND ABLE TO BATTLE THEIR LIFE-THREATENING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. FOR MANY OF THEM IT MARKS A TURNING POINT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THEIR ILLNESS. MAKE-A-WISH WISCONSIN GRANTED 265 QUALITY WISHES FOR CHILDREN LIVING WITH CRITICAL ILLNESSES FY2020, AND WE DID THIS DURING A PANDEMIC WHILE PIVOTING TO WORK REMOTELY, RAISING FUNDS VIRTUALLY AND GRANTING NEW TYPES OF WISHES.MAKE-A-WISH WISCONSIN WAS ONE OF ONLY 3 CHAPTERS (OF 59) TO HAVE REACHED 50% OF NET INCIDENCE IN WISH GRANTING THIS YEAR. OUR CHAPTER IS THE 21ST LARGEST IN TERMS OF WISH POTENTIAL, YET WE WERE THE 6TH LARGEST FOR HAVING GRANTED THE MOST AMOUNT OF WISHES IN FY20 DUE TO COVID!DECEMBER 2019, WE GRANTED WISH 7,000! BEN'S WISH FOR A SYNCHRONIZED CHRISTMAS LIGHT SHOW AT HIS HOME IN THE APPLETON AREA GENERATED DAYS OF HEART-WARMING PUBLICITY.OUR CHAPTER PIVOTED QUICKLY TO AN ALL-REMOTE WORK STAFF AS THE PANDEMIC TOOK HOLD. MORE THAN 150 WISH KIDS HAD THEIR WISH EXPERIENCE DELAYED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY TO REIMAGINE PROCESSES AND HOW WE GRANT LIFE-CHANGING WISHES. VIRTUAL WISH REVEAL CELEBRATIONS, SOCIALLY DISTANCED DELIVERIES AND CARAVANS OF SUPPORT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS OUR TEAM CHANGED TO PROVIDE TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCES THAT MAKE A LIFE-LONG IMPACT. WE ARE COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT NO CHILD WAITS EVEN ONE UNNECESSARY DAY TO EXPERIENCE THE HOPE, STRENGTH AND JOY A WISH BRINGS.WE REIMAGINED IN-PERSON FUNDRAISING EVENTS INTO VIRTUAL ONES THAT RAISED SOLID FUNDING TO ENSURE NO INTERRUPTIONS IN WISH GRANTING. WE WERE THE FIRST MAKE-A-WISH CHAPTER IN THE COUNTRY TO INSTITUTE A VIRTUAL FUNDRAISING EVENT: WISH NIGHT. IN JUST 2 1/2 WEEKS, WE TRANSFORMED A SOLD-OUT, 650 IN-PERSON EVENT TO A 45-MINUTE VIRTUAL "SHOW", USING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. THE OUTCOME: 27,000 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS AND $659,000 REVENUE RAISED.OVERALL, TOTAL REVENUE FOR FY20 WAS $6.7M, A DECREASE OF ABOUT 25% FROM OUR FY20 BUDGET OF $8.7M. WE HIRED A NEW MADISON REGIONAL DIRECTOR, MOVED THE OFFICE TO A NEW, UPDATED DONATED SPACE AND RELAUNCHED THE MADISON ADVISORY COUNCIL.WE RETOOLED OUR CHAPTER WISH POLICIES AND DOCUMENT, WORKING WITH THE WISH GRANTING COMMITTEE/MEDICAL ADVISORS TO ACHIEVE THIS SIGNIFICANT UNDERTAKING THAT HAD NOT BEEN DONE IN SEVERAL YEARS.MAKE-A-WISH WISCONSIN CONTINUED ITS SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL WISH EXCHANGE PROGRAM AND WISH FULFILLMENT FUND TO SUPPORT GRANTING WISHES FROM OTHER CHAPTERS TO ENSURE THE VISION OF GRANTING EVERY ELIGIBLE CHILD'S WISH.CHAPTER LEADERSHIP SERVED ON THE NATIONAL REEMERGENCE TASK FORCE WORKING ON WHAT AND HOW WE NEED TO MAKE CHANGES NOW SO THAT THE ENTIRE ENTERPRISE IS VIABLE INTO THE FUTURE.WE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED MAKE-A-WISH AMERICA'S FINANCIAL SOFTWARE SYSTEM CONVERSION TO NETSUITE.NORTHEAST WI REGIONAL OFFICE100 W. COLLEGE AVE. STE. 50EAPPLETON, WI [email protected] REGIONAL OFFICE1818 PARMENTER STSUITE 310MIDDLETON, WI [email protected]'S WISH TO HAVE A CAMPER, A LETTER FROM MALCOLM'S FAMILY:MALCOLM WAS DIAGNOSED WITH STAGE IV NEUROBLASTOMA ON CHRISTMAS EVE. TOLD TO GO HOME AND HAVE A "NORMAL" CHRISTMAS, HIS FAMILY REALIZED NOTHING WOULD BE NORMAL AGAIN.SINCE THE DIAGNOSIS MALCOLM HAS HAD TO COPE WITH INTENSE TREATMENTS INCLUDING SEVERAL ROUNDS OF CHEMOTHERAPY, SURGERY, RADIATION THERAPY, TWO STEM CELL TRANSPLANTS AND IMMUNOTHERAPY. THE ONE THING THAT LIFTED MALCOLM'S SPIRITS DURING ALL OF THESE SCARY TREATMENTS AND HOSPITAL VISITS WAS THE THOUGHT OF GOING CAMPING. HE HAD GONE CAMPING IN THE PAST WITH HIS FAMILY AND HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE OUTDOORS AND WOULD CONSTANTLY ASK TO GO AGAIN.WHEN MALCOLM LEARNED HE WAS ELIGIBLE FOR A WISH, HE KNEW IMMEDIATELY A LIFETIME OF CAMPING, IN THE FORM OF A CAMPER, WAS HIS ONE TRUE WISH.WHILE MALCOLM WAS UNDERGOING HIS SECOND STEM CELL TRANSPLANT, HE SUFFERED LIFE-THREATENING COMPLICATIONS AND SPENT WEEKS IN THE PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNIT (PICU) AND ON A VENTILATOR. TRACY, MALCOLM'S MOTHER SAID "I DIDN'T THINK HE WOULD MAKE IT. HIS CONDITION WAS SO POOR I EVEN LET MAKE-A-WISH KNOW I DIDN'T THINK HE WOULD BE LEAVING THE PICU."WITH CONTINUED FOCUS ON HIS CAMPER WISH, MALCOLM PULLED THROUGH. YET, COVID-19 EMERGED AND CHANGED PARTS OF HIS WISH REVEAL. WHILE THERE WAS NO HUGE PARTY "MALCOLM'S FACE LIT UP COMPLETELY WHEN HE SAW THE CAMPER AND HOW BIG IT WAS! HE COULDN'T WAIT FOR IT TO BE OPENED UP," EXCLAIMED TRACY.MALCOLM AND HIS SIBLINGS HAD A BLAST CHECKING OUT EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY OF THE CAMPER AND REFUSED TO COME OUT. THEY SPENT THE EVENING PLAYING MINECRAFT IN THE BUNK BEDS. WHILE CAMPGROUNDS ARE CLOSED, MALCOLM WAS GIFTED MULTIPLE NIGHTS OF CAMPING AT LOCAL CAMPGROUNDS THAT THEY LOOK FORWARD TO USING OVER THIS SUMMER AND FALL. "FOR NOW, WE ENJOY USING IT AS A QUIET SPACE DURING THIS QUARANTINE. A PLACE TO ESCAPE, A NEW LOCATION TO ENJOY WHILE STUCK AT HOME," STATES TRACY."WE HAVE SPENT SO MUCH TIME AWAY FROM MALCOLM'S SIBLINGS DURING TREATMENT AND I KNOW THIS WILL HELP REBUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL OF OUR KIDS... NOTHING WILL MAKE UP FOR THE LOST TIME, BUT A LIFELONG OPPORTUNITY OF ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL WILL HELP REPLACE ALL OUR BAD MEMORIES WITH GOOD ONES," SAYS TRACY.

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