Letter from the Chairman of the Board and the President and CEO
As Make-A-Wish ® continues its emergence from restrictions placed on us by the pandemic and begins to plan wish travel again , we look back on 2021 as a year of inspired imagination and tremendous resilience by our wish children ,
Never ones to let a setback get in their way , these children found new ways to dream and creative ideas to consider . While we granted 105 online shopping sprees ( wrestling with supply chain challenges ), we also helped with college tuition for three graduates and found a Stevie Ray Vaughn guitar . While we assisted in placing 20 puppies – and one Bengal kitten – in their ‘ furever ’ homes , we also built four YouTube-inspired production studios and a garage full of tools . And while we set up 23 playhouses and playsets , 29 computers and 18 swimming pools and hot tubs , we also erected three art studios and one she-shed .
These children continue to inspire us . Celebrating their strength and the recuperative power of a wish ( read more about this later on ), two children wished for home gyms to continue their post-treatment recovery . And four children wished-it-forward , providing new football uniforms for their high school team , adaptive playground equipment for their local park , a makeover for their preschool and toys and treats for penguins at their local zoo .
It was a year without travel wishes – and our most popular wish to visit the Walt Disney World ® Resort – as well as celebrity meetings , attendance at large events like the Super Bowl or visits around the country . And because of these travel restrictions – acutely necessary to safeguard our fragile wish children – it was a year where we granted half of the wishes we would normally grant . And due to the pandemic-related hardships , these wishes were more expensive , harder to coordinate and just short of a miracle to grant .
( among many others ) and , of course , the Walt Disney World ® Resort . And we ’ re setting up meetings with famous musicians , Olympians , comedians , sports teams and movie casts . We ’ ll be up to 700 wishes per year again before you know it .
And that ’ s why your generous and continued support is so important . Lots of these kids have been waiting and now is their time . Thank you for supporting them in these last few challenging years and keeping them top of mind in the future .
Sincerely ,
Jeremy Z . Kronman Vice Chairman , CBRE / Advisory & Transaction Services
Judith Stone President & CEO , Make-A-Wish ® Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia
But now we can turn our attention to what ’ s next . As you read this , we are planning trips to Pebble Beach , NYC , Dollywood , Kennedy Space Center