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World Wish Day: Ways To Support Singapore Kids Battling Critical Illnesses
Today (29 April) is World Wish Day, which marks the anniversary of the founding of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit organisation that creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
This year is particularly special for Make-A-Wish Singapore (an affiliate of what is considered the world's largest wish-granting organisation): it's celebrating its 20th anniversary!
Awesome fact: Since 2002, when Make-A-Wish Singapore was established, the children's charity organisation has, with the help of over 80 corporate and hospital partners, fulfilled the wishes of more than 1,700 children with critical illnesses.
“It takes a whole village – of staff, healthcare professionals, volunteers and community partners – to bring our beneficiaries on meaningful journeys in making their wishes come true. The immediate impact is clear when you see the smiles on the faces of our wish children and their families, and this positivity also spreads amongst all involved parties," says Dr Jeremy Lin, Vice Chairman, Make-A-Wish Singapore.
“The power of a wish goes beyond the wish experience, as it also instils optimism, hope and strength in the children and their families during their ongoing battles with their illnesses."
To commemorate their 20th anniversary, Make-A-Wish Singapore has set itself a milestone of reaching 2,000 wishes. Here's how you can help them reach that goal, but more importantly, bring hope and joy to young ones battling critical illnesses:
Buy a limited-edition face mask designed by “Wish” children
Add to your mask collection while supporting a good cause by purchasing a limited-edition face mask from Make-A-Wish Singapore. Created by three of the organisation's wish children, the masks' designs are inspired by their hopes and wishes for the world around them.
The masks are sold at $18 each and available for order here, with all proceeds going towards Make-A-Wish Singapore’s wish granting efforts for children with critical illnesses.
Here are the different mask designs:
Designed by Yasmin, 6
Sister of Arshad, 8, a wish child with cerebral palsy
As Arshad is a non-communicative wish child, his sister designed this mask on his behalf based on her wish for him. She drew candies and desserts as she enjoys sweet stuff and wishes that her brother could enjoy them with her as well.
Designed by Amelia, 19, a wish child with congenital heart disease
Amelia’s design is inspired by Mount Fuji, as she hopes she can travel to Japan soon in the post-pandemic future. She hopes that everyone will be able to remove their masks one day and breathe in the fresh air.
Designed by Joanna, 16, a wish child with medulloblastoma
Joanna’s design is inspired by a Native American legend which states that the dreamcatcher's web will filter off all bad dreams. The dandelions represent her hope for everyone to not be afraid to start afresh, while the dreamcatcher illustrates her wish for everyone to only dream about good and positive things.
Make a donation
You can also make a donation to Make-A-Wish Singapore to support their wish granting efforts. You can choose to donate once or on a monthly basis, and Singapore residents are eligible for a 250% tax deduction for donations of S$50 and above.
Adopt a wish
You can directly adopt a wish to grant the wish of one of Make-A-Wish Singapore's wish children. Simply choose a wish from the wishlist on Make-A-Wish Singapore's website, fill out the wish adoption form and wait for the organisation to contact you with further details.
Refer a child
Last but not least, you can refer a child with a critical illness and grant them the power of a wish - in just 4 simple steps:
1) Application
Simply refer a child via the Make-A-Wish website and provide your contact details for the Wish Team to reach out with the application form and more information on eligibility criteria.
Note: Before referring a child, do seek the consent of the child being referred, or a parent/guardian of the child if the child is below the age of 13.
2) Review
The Wish Team will review your application, check that they have all the required information, and get in touch with the family.
3) Medical Approval
Once Make-A-Wish have the family's consent, they'll contact the child’s treating medical specialist to seek approval for the wish application before proceeding.
4) The Wish Begins
Upon approval of the application, Make-A-Wish will work closely with the child, their family and Make-A-Wish's dedicated wish granters to bring the kid's wish to life.
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