Hope, Strength and Joy: The Fire Within

Documentary Portraits by Kent Miles

There are several public displays which tell the Make-A-Wish^® story and demonstrate how a wish can inspire and motivate a child. Kent Miles, a renowned documentary photographer, has created an exhibit of portraits of Utah wish children that spans a decade of our work in the state. The first 20 images in this exhibit were installed in the General Motors reception center in Park City for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. It was called “Hope, Strength and Joy: The Fire Within.” GM hosted the children coming to Utah for Olympics wishes that year.  The exhibit then toured libraries in the state during the following year, before being permanently installed in A Wishing Place. Since 2002, the exhibit has doubled in size. Kent says of this collection, “These photographs are dedicated to everyone who understands that, although we live in an imperfect and often painful world, we will always make a difference by helping others.”