The Make-A-Wish Foundation® grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Last year, the Foundation celebrated 27 Years of Making Wishes Come True. With 67 chapters in the U.S. and its territories, the Make-A-Wish Foundation® has now granted more than 158,000 wishes in the United States.

The inspiration, for what is now the world's largest wish-granting organization, came from a little boy who dreamed of becoming an Arizona Highway Patrolman. In the spring of 1980, Chris Grecius was sworn in as the first and only, honorary Arizona Highway Patrolman in the state’s history.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of East Tennessee granted its first wish in 1988 and has granted over 600 wishes through the services of more than 120 volunteers. Any child 2½ and under the age of 18, who has been determined by a physician to have a life-threatening illness and has not been granted a previous wish, may be eligible. Make-A-Wish® grants wishes to all eligible children, regardless of race, religion, or socio-economic status. Granting a child's one greatest wish inspires him or her to continue living with exuberance. We feel that the doctors provide the medicine, and we provide the magic!

The average cost of granting a wish is $6,000. The Foundation does not receive federal funding or United Way support which is why donations are so important to our mission.

For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of East Tennessee visit www.wishetn.org or call us at 423-629-9474 and learn how you can be part of the magic.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of East Tennessee is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and all contributions are tax deductible.