The Make A Wish® Foundation is a non-profit organization that benefits children with life threatening illnesses in 36 countries throughout the world. Their mission is to ”grant wishes to children with life threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.”
The Make-A-Wish Foundation began with a group of generous people devoted to turning one child’s wish into a reality. Christopher James Greicius was a seven year old boy who was suffering from leukemia, and whose only dream was to become a police officer one day. Unsure of how long Chris could keep battling cancer, U.S. Customs Officer, Tommy Austin granted Chris’ wish in April of 1980. Austin, along with others at the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) arranged for a helicopter to fly Chris around his town, which culminated with the greeting of three cruisers and a motorcycle upon his arrival at DPS headquarters. There, Chris was sworn in as the first honorary DPS patrolman in state history. Days later, he was given an official uniform, along with a pair of wings, signifying his worth as a member of the DPS. Thanks to people in the community devoting their time to help Chris, upon his passing on May 3rd, his wish was turned into a reality as he had become an official Arizona police officer by the age of seven.
After seeing how these simple acts had a significant impact on the lives of both Chris and his mother, the DPS officers created a foundation in his honor. This led to the founding of the Chris Greicius Make-A-Wish® Foundation, known simply today as the Make-A-Wish® Foundation.
By 1981, with the support of locals throughout Arizona, the Foundation had raised enough money to grant a second wish. Since then, the Make A Wish® Foundation has granted over 290,000 wishes, and continues on helping children across the globe.