Wish Granters

I've always been somewhat skeptical of organizations with the mission of fulfilling the wishes of very ill children, police officers, firefighters, other special groups. Sometimes the administrative costs of such non profits are outrageous and I am reluctant to fork over contributions based on an emotional plea for help. While I find the Charity Navigator a handy decision making tool, my tendency is to lump all of them in the "undesirable" bucket without even checking.

This morning I'm sitting in a family waiting room at the University of Minnesota while my husband has knee replacement surgery. In a casual conversation with a woman here with her adult daughter, I learned that she is a "wish granter" for Make-A-Wish Minnesota. A team of two wish granters evaluates formal wish applications submitted by candidate families and makes recommends for approval. During the process, the wish granters establish a relationship with children and families, and maintain contact through wish fulfillment and sometimes beyond.

Common wishes are trips, meetings with sports and media personalities, sometimes an item to facilitate a favorite activity like fishing. My wish granter companion told me about a child who wanted to "pet a cheetah" and was granted a trip to the San Diego zoo, where she petted a baby cheetah and viewed cheetah bottle feeding from behind protective glass. The family of another child who wanted to hold a koala bear visited Australia. The wish granters make an event out of the "wish reveal" and will celebrate the gift with a party or other celebration.

Minnesota Make-A-Wish gets high marks for financial management and transparency as well. The website is interesting and attractive, with easy access to wish stories and financial information.