Fall 2023
How a Game – And a Wish- Gave Hope
Wishes give children with critical illnesses the opportunity to dream. In a hospital room, imagination sparks joy and hope, and wishes are the ember that ignites their creativity as they envision fantastical worlds away from illness. For Wyatt, video games were his escape. The storylines of his favorite game, Destiny 2, not only gave him a distraction from cancer, but within that world, he found connection. When he was undergoing cancer treatment, games were a reprieve – and in those games he found purpose.
When he thought about his wish, again those games sparked an idea. He wished to go to Bungie headquarters and meet with the narrative team responsible for creating his favorite video game Destiny 2.
Today, he is thinking about his future. He wants to do for others what those games did for him. He wants to create worlds that bring people together. And that’s what his wish did – it fueled his passion and helped him envision brighter days ahead.
You can watch his wish come true and see firsthand the transformational power of a dream come to life.
Special thanks to Make-A-Wish® Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley; Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington; Bungie and Bungie Foundation.
The Bungie Foundation has partnered with Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington for more than two decades to makes wishes for kids like Wyatt possible.
Read Wyatt's Heartfelt Letter
From the bottom of my heart, with the deepest sincerity and my utmost gratitude, thank you for the absolutely extraordinary experience you gifted me.
I often struggle with feeling like I am not worth much. I tend to feel very isolated and alone due to the medical issues I face, and do not easily fit in with people my age. These struggles have separated me from what many would consider having the normal, ideal experience of growing up, and it can make a person feel like an outcast when having to watch others have the experiences you know you’ll never really get the chance to have.
But my wish day at Bungie has changed that. After meeting with the team at Bungie — learning more about something I truly love, have been inspired by, and aspire to be a part of or create something like it myself someday — I feel like I am not alone. The experience I had at Bungie was, bar none, one of the greatest highlights of my life, and it would have never been possible without kind, compassionate, and generous souls like yourselves giving their time and careful considerations to make dreams like these a reality.
My wish was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that has forever changed me. I feel more confident that my passions and things I appreciate aren’t a waste of time, and that there are others like me who love a good story as much as I do. That I may have an actual shot at achieving a dream I often question is just an overly optimistic fantasy. That I may have found a group of gifted individuals I would be honored to call peers. It helped give me some hope and reassurance that I may be worth something. That’s greater than any wish I could have ever asked for.
And it’s all because of people like you, and the people of Bungie. Thank you.
Forever grateful,
Wyatt
More inspiring stories in this issue »
Wish Night Gala & Auction – JOY called. YOU answered!
Mark your calendars and grab your friends for next year’s Wish Night on March 9, 2024 at the Seattle Westin.
We can’t wait to unveil this year’s theme. It will be an event for the storybooks.
Photo courtesy of Garret Wientrob
Thank you to our phenomenal sponsors:
“Cheers for a cause”—it doesn’t get better than this!
Happiness Hour returned to Spokane and Anchorage this fall, and we were overwhelmed by the generosity and compassion of our communities.
YOU made all the difference for children with critical illnesses. We raised a record number, which means kids in our region waiting for wishes will soon have their dreams take flight.
Special thanks to our emcees at this year’s events, including wish-granting volunteer Luke Busby and long-time supporter Ariane Aramburo, and our incredible featured wish kids, Phoenix and Kai.
Special thanks to our sponsors:
Alaska Sponsors:
Spokane Sponsors:
Wishes in Flight
Our 14th annual Wishes In Flight Mileage Drive with KOMO and Lotus took wishes to new heights. Thanks to the generosity of their viewers and listeners, more than 8 million airline miles were donated to help wishes take flight, and we raised around $10,000.
The majority of wishes (about 70%) involve travel. Airline miles ensure we have the resources needed to book flights today and in the future!
Thank you also to Alaska Airlines, our local Make-A-Wish chapter’s most tenured airline partner, for matching airline miles up to 1 million miles. Since our very first wish kid in 1986, Alaska Airlines has been flying thousands of our local wish kids to their dream destinations.
To donate airline miles today, please go to wishesinflight.akwa.wish.org
Nora’s Hawaii Wish
Thank you, Jewelers for Children (JFC), for making Nora’s wish presentation extra special! Since 1999, Jewelers for Children has donated more than $14M to grant wishes in every state through its support of Make-A-Wish.
As a JFC member, the Kennewick Fred Meyer went above and beyond for Nora’s wish send off to Hawaii. They surprised Nora with a Hawaiian inspired wish party. Complete with a cupcake cake and festive decorations adorning the Kennewick location, Nora also received a beautiful birthstone necklace.
Nora’s wish to go to Hawaii with her parents and cousin was granted in 2023. Nora had only seen Hawaii in pictures, but she always thought it looked beautiful. She dreamed of experiencing the warm sandy shores beneath her toes, and the pristine turquoise ocean water in person. It was a dream– and YOU made that dream a reality.
Thinking about her wish brought her joy and excitement during treatment. She said she knew immediately what she would wish for, and it gave her something to look forward to while going through cancer treatment.
“It gave me hope and motivation,” Nora said. “I kept telling myself that I was going to get better so I could go on my dream trip to Hawaii.”
On Dec. 30, 2021, Nora and her family received the best news of their lives. Nora was in remission. For Nora and her family, her wish was a celebration.
“I think it’s important to have something to dream about, read about, and watch videos about to keep your mind off the challenges of being in the hospital and missing all the things that aren’t possible when you’re sick and away from home. A wish to me is something you get to experience unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. It should feel magical! My heart is filled with Aloha! I learned that aloha means love and fellowship and that is exactly what MAW represents. Thank you for making my wish come true!”
A Slam Dunk Wish for Audrianna
It takes a community of people coming together to make wishes possible. For Audrianna, who dreamed of a basketball court, her community answered the call to help.
Sometimes it takes one small moment to set into motion a chain reaction of joy. For Anna Mackinnon, one wish in 2013 did that.
A little boy was having his wish granted in San Francisco, and from that transformative experience, hope bloomed. A decade later, that wish still called to Anna’s heart, so she reached out to Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington.
Because of that connection, a new wish began. A girl named Audrianna wished for a basketball court, and BNBuilders was the perfect community partner to make her wish a reality.
You can read more about how BNBuilders came to partner with Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington , and how the power of teamwork made Audrianna’s wish come true.
Today, Audrianna can play basketball whenever she wants. It’s given her freedom to be a kid, and every time she makes a basket, she’s reminded of the people who came together to grant her wish.
Wishes aren’t possible without community partners like BNBuilders or wish-granting volunteers like Julia and Daniel. Learn more about donating your time and talents to Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington.
Laps With Lou Celebrates 20 Years – And $100,000!
Longtime wish-granting volunteer Lou Cutler has walked into many homes and hospital rooms delivering hope and joy in the form of a wish come true when it was needed most. Each step left a print on the hearts of those he’s helped — from wish families to his fellow volunteers to Make-A-Wish staff to students.
Prior to retiring, Lou was a physical education teacher and has always walked the extra mile for kids.
That’s why for 20 years, he combined his two passions and organized a walkathon – dubbed Laps with Lou — to help raise funds and awareness for Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington. This year marked the 20th anniversary of the event, and the total raised since his first walk reached more than $100,000.
Lou also surpassed his goal of 72 laps – 12 miles – and kept going for kids with critical illnesses.
For 27 years, Lou has been volunteering at Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington. During that time, he’s granted more than 275 wishes for kids in our community.
“I’m not giving up anytime soon,” he said with a big smile on his face.
“These kids are going through the most horrible treatments, and they feel terrible,” he continued. “What is this for me? This is just a walk in the park.”
Volunteer Spotlights — Tricities Heroes
A wish means something different to everyone. For families, wishes can be a celebration. They can mean hope and joy and memories together. For our Tri-Cities volunteers, wishes are more than single moments in time. Wishes are a community coming together to rally behind kids with critical illnesses. And together – they make all the difference!
Barbi Hawkins says granting wishes has changed her life for the better. Each wish is unique and special and it’s impossible to choose a favorite wish. She started volunteering for Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington in 2012 after a friend introduced her to the mission. Since then, she has lost track of how many wishes she has granted.
“I tell everybody how much I love granting wishes and encourage them to join me,” Barbi said.
Alison Hull started granting wishes in 2022. She was searching for volunteer opportunities to help children in her community and found Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington.
“I was surprised at the number of kids in my area that are waiting for wishes and the few numbers of granters,” Alison said.
Today, 37 children in the Tri-Cities area are waiting for their wishes to be granted.
“It is surprising how many children in our area are struggling with these medical issues,” Alison said. “They are our neighbors and living among us. Tri-Cities is a great community, and I think if people knew more about this opportunity, they would sign up to help!”
Wish-grantors are desperately needed in the Tri-Cities area to help grant wishes for children in the community. By volunteering your time and talents, you can help bring wishes to life.
Alison says wishes are embodied in three words: happiness, hope, and love.
When she sees a child beaming with joy, she feels fulfilled.
“It is very rewarding and really brings life into perspective,” she said. “Just making one kid smile is worth the effort and time commitment. It’s truly a great experience!”
Jessica Galloway has been a wish-grantor for nine years. During that time, she has granted more than 51 wishes – and she’s currently working on 19 more!
She first heard about Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington from the news. She was watching television when a story came on about the need for volunteers in the area. That was all it took for her to sign up, and she hasn’t looked back.
When Jessica thinks about the wishes she’s granted, it brings her joy. Knowing she is making an impact in her community means the world to her.
“It is important to grant wishes to children with critical illnesses because it provides them a sense of normalcy back to their lives. They’ve spent days, months, or even years in a hospital fighting a critical illness and it gives them something to look forward to and something to remember afterwards. “
To learn more about how to become a wish-granting volunteer today, please contact our volunteer coordinator Lindsey Goss.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are lots of ways to donate!
You can support Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington through the The CFC is one of the largest and most successful annual workplace campaigns, raising millions of dollars each year for organizations for those who need it most, including Make-A-Wish.
Make a donation through the CFC, please visit https://givecfc.org and enter Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington’s CFC number 72693 to donate and help wishes come true!
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