Make-A-Wish Kent
Sweet
The Make-A-Wish organization, which fulfills
the requests of children with life threatening
medical conditions, is one of the most cel-
ebrated charitable groups in the country.
Whether it’s a photo of a celebrity at a child’s
hospital bedside or images from a family en-
joying a magical trip to Disney World, Make-
A-Wish has made an imprint on us because
of the smiles it creates.
While the national organization began in 1980, the Make-A-
Wish Kentucky chapter is much younger. Founded in Louisville
in 2001, this year marks its’ 16 th anniversary. In that time, the
chapter has expanded considerably as part of the Make-
A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana region.
Now, more than 120 Kentucky children are having their wishes
granted each year. That number has continued to increase
since the chapter’s founding, but there’s still much work to do.
The Kentucky chapter is currently granting approximately
40 percent of eligible children’s wishes. Right now, 300 kids
are still waiting for their dreams to be fulfilled in Kentucky
alone, and each wish costs $8,000 to $10,000 on average
to complete.
6
Making a wish come true is a grassroots effort. Ninety-sev-
en percent of the Make-A-Wish workforce is made up of
volunteers and currently 81 cents of every dollar donated
to the organization goes directly to fulfilling the dreams of
children facing terrible hardships.
“Some kids make a wish, but they’re going through a spe-
cific treatment and don’t want to think about traveling or
whatever their wish may be until they feel better. We have a
little time to put their wish together. But, there are others that
want to go now, or have to go now, and Make-A-Wish must
work it out. We couldn’t do it without all of our volunteers,”
said Cassidy Hyde, Make-A-Wish Development Associate
and a Wish Granting Volunteer for the Kentucky chapter.
Hyde first collaborated with Make-A-Wish through her col-
lege sorority, Chi Omega, and loved the work being done
so much that she pursued it after graduation.
“Chi Omega’s national philanthropy is Make-A-Wish. At UK,
we host a Greek Sing each year which raises $150,000 to go
towards Make-A-Wish,” said Hyde. “When I was a junior, I
oversaw that event. We were in contact with Make-A-Wish
to get a Wish Family to come. That’s when I met Katie New-
some and she was adorable.”
Newsome was three years old and already had a heart
VITAL SIGNS Volume 12 • Issue 2