By
Leonard Kenyon
Photo Provided by
Make-A-Wish Vermont
30 Years of Granting Wishes! From Landmines To Wishes
This year marks the 30th anniver-
sary of Make-A-Wish Vermont and in that
time they have granted over 850 wishes
to Vermont children with life threatening
medical conditions. That’s nearly 30 wishes
a year for those not doing the math. Wishes
have ranged from puppies (sorry, moms and
dads) to pools, to trips and meeting
celebrities. One egalitarian Wish-Kid even
wished for a green house for their school.
Bravo, kiddo! Before coming to Make-A-Wish Vermont
in June of 2015, CEO Jamie Hathaway, had
been working with non-profits since the
mid 90’s, most notably with civilian victims
of war.
With an amazing staff of just three including
Shawna Wakeham-Smith, Casey McMorrow
and CEO, Jamie Hathaway, it’s important to
know they don’t reach out to families, they
wait for people to come to them. So to
volunteer, donate, or to refer a child to
Make-A-Wish Vermont, please visit:
vtwish.org
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Vermont Magazine
Summer 2019
“I’d grown weary of war,” he says, his voice
thin with what one can only imagine to be
memories of tragedy. “Coming to Make-A-
Wish was a 180 degree turn for me. Previ-
ously, I’d been working internationally. To
come home and work with Vermonters has
been refreshing.”
“I grew up above a country store that my
dad ran in Dorset. The country store is like
the center of a community. You know when
people are sick, or having weddings, or
when they need help at home, and my dad
was always ready to lend a hand. I think that
informed the work I do now.”