Mid-Atlantic Fast Facts

Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of the Mid-Atlantic Fast Facts

• The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2013! Founded in 1983, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic has granted the wishes of more than 7,000 children fighting life-threatening medical conditions such as cancer, pediatric AIDS, cystic fibrosis, Duchene’s muscular dystrophy, kidney and heart disease.
• The mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
• The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic is one of 62 Make-A-Wish^® chapters in the United States and the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America’s national office is located in Phoenix.
• The Mid-Atlantic chapter serves children who reside in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia (the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William; and the independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park).
• In fiscal year 2011, the Mid-Atlantic chapter granted a record number 404 wishes. The most popular wish is to visit a theme park.
• Typically, children’s wishes fall into four categories: To Be (e.g., a zookeeper, a firefighter, a baker), To Meet (e.g., a favorite celebrity or athlete), To Have (e.g., a computer, a play set, a puppy), or To Go (e.g., to a theme park, Hawaii, a major sporting event).
• Any child facing a life-threatening medical condition who is between the ages of two and a half and under the age of 18 at the time of referral and who has not previously been granted a wish by any chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation or by any other wish-granting organization is eligible for a wish. Eligible children can be referred by a parent or legal guardian, or a medical professional involved with their care. We also accept self referrals by children who contact us directly.
• Following referral, a certified medical professional must verify that the child has a life-threatening medical condition. There are no other qualifications based on sex, race, religion, socioeconomic status or any other demographic category.
• The average cost of a wish in the Mid-Atlantic region is $7,500.
• Over 700 volunteers help the Mid-Atlantic chapter maintain its grassroots support by delivering the organization’s mission to seriously ill children across the country. Volunteers serve Make-A-Wish chapters in a variety of capacities, including wish granting, office administrative support, special events, fundraising, language translation and much more.
• For more information on how you can get involved, please contact us at (301) 962-WISH (9474) or information@midatlantic.wish.org.
• To refer a child, please email wishreferral@midatlantic.wish.org or call (877) 599-9474.
• For media inquiries, please email media@midatlantic.wish.org or call (240) 395-4302.
• For information about upcoming events, email events@midatlantic.wish.org or call (240) 395-4338.