Make-A-Wish Foundation

Make-A-Wish Foundation
"Make A Wish" redirects here. For other uses, see Make A Wish (disambiguation).

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in the United States that grants wishes to children (2.5 years to 18 years old) who have life-threatening medical conditions.[1] The charity now operates in forty seven countries around the world through thirty six affiliate offices.[2]

The president & CEO of this charity is David A. Williams. The first wish was granted to Christopher James Greicius who wished to be a police officer. Chris died soon after.[3]

Contents

Hunting controversy

The Make-A-Wish Foundation ceased granting hunting trips in 1999, amid criticisms from animal rights groups. The Foundation explained that the decision was based on the danger of having a child in a weakened state handling firearms.

In response, three other similar organizations were formed: Hunt of a Lifetime, which arranged hunting trips for terminally ill children;[4][5] Catch-a-Dream,[6] which was conceived by Mississippi outdoorsman Bruce Brady, and formed by his loved ones following Brady's death from cancer, to grant hunting experiences to ill children; and Life Hunts founded by the Buckmasters American Deer Foundation.[7]

In popular culture

  • In the game Portal, The Aperture Science Corporation (led by a mentally unstable CEO) has a "Take-a-Wish" Tier of Research and Development, whose goal is to buy wishes off of the parents of terminally ill children and redistribute them to wish-deprived but otherwise healthy adults. It was a colossal failure.[citation needed]
  • In one episode of Chappelle's Show, Dave Chappelle visits a terminally ill child and plays a videogame called Street Hoops with him.
  • In January 2008, the satirical news site The Onion produced a parody video claiming that Make-a-Wish Foundation was bankrupted due to a child's wish for "infinite wishes." The video was apparently so convincing that some people believed it was real and it had to be debunked by the urban legends web site Snopes.[8]
  • Two Australian shows, The Mansion and The Chaser's War on Everything, did very similar sketches about the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the latter causing an unprecedented amount of controversy.[9][10][11]
  • Once a year, the sports news show SportsCenter has a daily segment for a week in which they showcase sports related wishes for sick children made possible with the help of Make-A-Wish. See List of SportsCenter segments and specials
  • Four children were also guest-stars on the show Cake Boss, in which Buddy Valastro helped four children make one of a kind cakes before making a "Hot Air Balloon" cake for a reception for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
  • Daniel Stark, a cancer survivor thanks to the foundation, appeared in the animated TV show Rocket Power's series finale, "The Big Day".
  • A special episode of Achievement HORSE with Rooster Teeth Productions had Michael Jones vs. Ian, who made his wish to play H-O-R-S-E on Halo: Reach with them.

See also

References

  1. ^ Make-A-Wish Foundation : About Us : How We Grant Wishes
  2. ^ Make-A-Wish Foundation International : Countries
  3. ^ Make-A-Wish Foundation : About Us : The First Wish
  4. ^ Hunt of a Lifetime's official site
  5. ^ CNN.com – Hunting organization grants wish that Make-a-Wish won't – December 15, 2000[dead link]
  6. ^ Catch-a-Dream's official site
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ Urban Legends Reference Pages: Make-a-Wish Foundation Bankrupted by Unlimited Wishes
  9. ^ The Chaser vs. The Mansion vs. The Onion
  10. ^ Chaser sketch 'may have been ripped off'
  11. ^ Sick kids stunt earns Chaser 2-week ban

External links

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