A Wish Begins With You… All wishes are unique, and each one can transform a life in different ways. It could be the construction company that donates countless hours of their time putting together the perfect treehouse for a young tween, or the NFL player who takes time out of his day to meet their number one fan – but wishes across our state continue to touch lives because of you. Whether you’re referring a child, volunteering as a wish granter, or donating monthly, your contribution impacts our community every day. September marks Make-A-Wish Hawaii’s 35th Anniversary, and as we look back on all that has been accomplished, it is truly a community effort that makes it all possible. With over 1,200 wishes granted for local keiki, we want you to know that you are the reason wishes are possible today, tomorrow, and in the future. To you – our generous community ohana – mahalo for saying YES! to wishes for the last 35 years. We hope that you continue to see the impact that you have on our wish kids and families. Together, we can help Hawaii’s keiki imagine a future without illness by granting their one true wish.
Warm Wishes,
President & CEO
Board of Directors Todd Apo, Board Chair Brigitte M. Egbert, Chair Emeritus Kim T. Jones, Treasurer Gregory Kugle, Secretary Rachel Bradley Daniel Chun Erik DeRyke Jeremy Edwards, M.D. Richard Erickson Alyson Helwagen
Jeff Higashi Melissa Jackson Kristina Lockwood Matthew Luckett Kevin Pena Dean Spagnoli Jason Zambuto Marissa MacNaughton Jon Murakami Brian Wong Terence Murphy
Siana Hunt and Auli'i Cravalho at WISH! A Night in Old Hawaii Photo: Kevin Lubera Photography
Mahalo to Our Partners
Nainoa, 4, Honolulu
… Miles to Help Give Wishes Wings
have an experience It’s no surprise that many wish to of Alaska Airlines, help the outside of the state. With t. Through the fligh take es wish we continue to help were able to raise Give Wishes Wings campaign, we kids, including wish l almost 1.5 million miles for loca neighborhood dly frien his t mee to Nainoa who wished Spider-Man.
Photo: Jenna Lee pictures
Soya, 5, Manoa
Lyric, 6, Mililani
A Sweet Tooth Just for Kids…
The ways you can get involved are boundless. Whether g it’s dipping cookies in a store with a wish kid, or writin e Cooki ulu Honol the letters for our holiday campaign, Company truly knows that the way to a child's heart is through their stomach!
Ava, 15, Kailua
A Wish Filled Summer ...
This summer we shared just a few of the 38 wis hes waiting to be granted be tween June and August. With the help of Ohan a Broadcast and our gen erous partners, we were able to say YES! to those wis hes, including Ava who wishe d to meet Shawn Mend ez! Mahalo to everyone wh o supported our radiot hon!
Felix, 10, Kualapuu
Photo: Darcy Fiero
Building Excitement through Wish Reveals
…
Did you know that every wish countdown begin s with a wish reveal? Our volunteer wish granters plan exciti ng wish reveal parties for every wish kid to let them know their requested wish is coming true. And one of our main partn ers in making wish reveals possible is Dave & Buste r’s Hawaii. With their help, every wish kid feels special as they hear the great news about their upcoming wish!
hawaii.wish.org • 808-537-3118
Change the Lives of Wish Kids
Photo: Isle Media
Kai Carter, 8, Hawaii
re if Carter was ople who didn’t ca "It’s rare to find pe cepted Carter ac ing loud. They be or e, en sc a g makin create him, and God intended to w ho is, he o wh r fo nce has given . This wish experie loved him for that to the outside and connections us new friendships in the future.” e us will definitely we ys wa in , rld wo nine – Wish Mom Ja
Photo: Dave Miyamoto
“I remember being introduced to Make-A-W ish Hawaii. And I wanted to travel and spend time with my family for my wish. I still have all of my pictures on my wall and I show them to my daughter. It's an experience that I am so lucky to have." – Wish Alumna Holley (wish gran ted 2002)
Kaikea, 15, Kapaa
“What a great expe rience for Kaikea an d the boys. Our family tru ly enjoyed ourselve s! \We are so grateful for Make-a-Wish Ha waii!” – Wish Mom Kano e
Ian, when asked what he wants for breakfast… "'you know what I will pick mommy? Every day I’m going to pick Hawaiian (food) because I LOVE Hawaiian!’ We are off to an incredible start and Ian and Ivan are greeting everyone with Aloha! Everywhere they look!'” - Ian and his family (I wish to go to Haw aii Sept. 2017)
Wish In Progress Spotlight “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” - Winston Churchill
Wish kid McKella definitely lives life to the fullest in her saddle! This Big Island teen can be found riding every weekend out in Ka’u. The eldest of five children, McKella loves the outlet that riding is for her, while also connecting her to the aina. When thinking of her wish, it’s probably no surprise that McKella’s wish request is rodeo related! In true Paniolo fashion, her wish is to ride in the National Finals Rodeo while carrying the Hawaiian flag. With the National Finals still a couple months away, McKella is patiently waiting to find out if her wish is coming true! However, McKella was able to get some practice in at last month’s Rope for Wishes event at Kualoa Ranch. She started off both days of the rodeo fundraiser benefiting Make-A-Wish Hawaii by riding in proudly with the Hawaiian flag. Mahalo to Lazy L Ranch and the Rita family for their continued support and making McKella's rodeo weekend possible! McKella is one of over 90 wishes in progress. Did you know that you can help make waiting wishes like McKella’s possible by shopping on Amazon.com?
McKella, 15, Ocean View
come true by visiting You can help make wishes ly/MAWHWishList Amazon Wish List: http://bit.
Life changing moments can start with YOU! You don’t have to be a doctor or parent to refer a child to Make-AWish Hawaii. You can give the gift of a wish by referring a child today. Visit Hawaii.wish.org/refer-a-child to learn more!
hawaii.wish.org • 808-537-3118
The holiday season is a magical time for everyone, but especially for our wish ohana! Make sure to join us as we gather throughout the season in honor of wishes everywhere.
Reyn's Evening of Wishes Delight in the sounds of the season with HAPA and friends! Enjoy heavy pupu and cocktails by Mariposa and embrace the true magic of the season. Support our local keiki by showing your aloha in your favorite holiday Reyn Spooner attire. November 16th, 2017 Mariposa at Nieman Marcus $75 per ticket Available at hawaii.wish.org/news-and-events Dominik, 10, Waikiki Photo: Darcy Fiero
Macy’s Believes in Wishes Help give the gift of a wish this season through Macy’s Thanks for Sharing and Letter Writing campaigns!
Shop for Wishes! Enroll in Thanks for Sharing and earn 10% rewards on your Macy’s card now through December 31. For each Thanks for Sharing enrollment, Macy’s will donate $10 to charity, including Make-A-Wish!
Write a letter to Santa! Macy’s letter writing campaign runs from November 3 through December 24. Macy’s will donate $1 for every letter written to Santa that is delivered to your nearest Macy’s store. Macy’s will double the donation for letters delivered on National Believe Day, December 8!
Titan, 9, Waipahu
Photo: Kevin Lubera Photography
Volunteer with Us! about becoming Have you thought the time! a volunteer? Now is
tive es a team of 200 ac shes possible, it tak em th lp he d an In order to make wi s kid sh year to meet our wi wish granters each so fortunate to have e wish. We’ve been tru e discover their on ve made this possible ss our islands that ha es, more volunteer a mighty team acro e to grant more wish inu nt co is we as t bu , thus far w training process th eded. We have a ne ne are s er nt gra sh wi able. online trainings avail year, including some we have many t around the corner, With the holidays jus ing our annual Jingle lud inc up ies coming ’d love to hear volunteer opportunit in learning more we ted es er int e u’r yo If Rock Run. from you! Mahalo, Will Phelps h Manager Volunteer Outreac ish.org .w aii wphelps@haw
Photo: Tracy Wright Corvo
Get Started Today! Register online at jinglerockrun.com Rally your team! Encourage friends and families to join you. Set a goal for your team page! Imagine the difference you can make together.
hawaii.wish.org • 808-537-3118
Mahalo for 35 magical years o f transforming lives through t he Power of a Wish! 1982: Local executive, Jack Stanford, starts Make-A-Wish Hawaii to host wish children whose one true wish was to visit the islands. 1984: The first local wish is granted for a 10-year-old Hilo boy who wished to go to Disneyland. 1988: More than 30 wishes granted for local keiki with critical illnesses! 1990: The 100th local wish is granted! 2017: A record 90 wishes per year are granted to local keiki and over 1,000 annual wishes for kids who wish to visit our beautiful state.
In honor of our 35th anniversary, a generous supporter has committed to matching all gifts dollar for dollar up to $35,000! Visit hawaii.wish.org or call 808-537-3118 to double your impact today! Help grant life-changing wishes for all eligible keiki throughout our state! Photo: Stephen Ball