Mission

We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Granting Wishes
The Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Utah provides a wish to all Utah children between 2 1/2 and 17 whose physicians affirm that they have a life-threatening medical condition. A “wish” is a critically ill child’s answer to the question, “If you could have anything in the world, go anywhere, be or do anything…what would you choose? What would you do?”

Many Utah children want to visit Walt Disney World^® Resort or a tropical paradise.  Some want a computer or an animal. Other kids want to meet celebrities like President George W. Bush or James Bond on the set of his next movie. And yet others want to become a nurse or an astronaut. Because a wish is shaped by a child’s imagination, almost anything is possible. It’s our job to ensure the wish is appropriate for the age of the child, and to make an unforgettable dream come true. The Utah chapter grants over 160 wishes a year to Utah children. That’s giving hope to a lot of young people and their families.

Wish Assists
We welcome children from all over the world who come here to Utah for a wish experience. Children wish to meet local celebrities…to see the Utah Jazz…to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir…to have a ski vacation or a float trip…to see the snow…to dig for dinosaur bones…to meet the LDS First President. We give each of these children the kind of special attention and care that our own children are given by Make-A-Wish volunteers all over the world.

One of the great strengths of the Make-A-Wish^® model is the presence of volunteers in every conceivable location, both nationally and internationally. We are assisted in our work here by 65 chapters in the U.S. and its territories. They make local arrangements and act as hosts and guides for families on a wish adventure. This collaborative network is one of the most powerful resources available to our children.

Family Activities
The Foundation creates activities, and community organizations donate tickets, for families who have had a wish, or are in the process of a wish. These activities offer a chance for our wish families to enjoy moments of respite and fun and an opportunity to network with other families who have experienced some of the same challenges.

About 3,000 people participated in one activity or another last year. Some of those activities include our annual Wish Family Reunion at Seven Peaks Waterpark, plays donated by Hale Theater, an Easter Egg Hunt, special screenings of the Nutcracker, tickets to the Living Planet Aquarium, Breakfast with Santa parties in Ogden, Provo, Salt Lake City and southern Utah, a Halloween Trick or Treat and a variety of other similar activities.

More About Us
For in-depth information on the Utah chapter, see our annual report.

How it all Began
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America began because seven-year-old Chris Greicius dreamed of being a police officer.  Click here to read his story.