The Children’s Wish Foundation – philanthropy at it’s best!

Meet The Girl Who Stole Kate’s Heart

 
What started with a handwritten note to Princess Kate, penned from her hospital bed, culminated on July 7, with the meeting of a lifetime for six-year-old wish child Diamond.

Diagnosed earlier this year with stage IV undifferentiated sarcoma, Diamond was referred to Children’s Wish to help grant her most heartfelt wish of meeting a real princess: Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge. From her bed at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Diamond watched Kate marry her prince charming on television.

The dream became reality thanks to an invitation from the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Diamond, accompanied by her father Lyall and step mother Danielle, rushed across the tarmac towards the Duchess, giving her legs a quick hug before retreating to her parent’s arms. Smiling, Kate crouched next to Diamond and spoke to her for several minutes. Diamond then presented Kate with flowers and a homemade gift.

In a letter to the Foundation describing Diamond’s wish, Lyall wrote: “We realize Diamond’s wish is enormous. We also realize she may not have the chance to go Disneyland where she wants to lunch with princesses. Should the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge just happen to swing by for a little visit, it would go a long way for helping her spirits as she is in awe of Princess Kate’s fairytale like story.”

Last December, Lyall and Danielle noticed that Diamond was lethargic and that her abdomen was oddly distended. After some tests, their worst fears were confirmed: she had a large cancerous tumour in her abdomen and several small masses in her lungs. Before treatment could commence, Diamond started to bleed internally and her life was in imminent danger. Diamond had two back-to-back life-saving emergency angioplasties and thrombosis injections to stop the tumour from bleeding. Numerous obstacles followed, which kept her in ICU for nearly a month.

Shortly after Diamond was born, her mother Memory was diagnosed with poor prognosis pregnancy cancer, known as GTN. Unfortunately, her mother succumbed to the violent disease in early 2007, when Diamond was only 18 months old.

Despite already having overcome many challenges to date, several treatments, surgeries and uncertainties still lie ahead for Diamond and family. When told that Diamond’s wish would come true, Lyall and Danielle could hardly put into words what this experience means to their daughter except to say that Children’s Wish proved that “the impossible is possible.”
 

Our Story

The Chapter has been granting wishes since 1969. This vast geographic area is the responsibility of our Provincial Office in , with a staff of , backed by a team of dedicated volunteers and a supportive board. Like the rest of the Foundation, we never turn down a wish child. We are able to do this thanks to the generous support of the public, corporate sponsors, planned gifts, donated goods and services and funds raised through special events. Together, we are working to make life better for children all over .

Each year, thousands of Canadian children between the ages of three and 17 are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada is dedicated to granting an exceptional wish to every child.

Established in 1984, Children’s Wish is a national non-profit organization dedicated to fulfilling a favourite wish for children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. Since its inception, Children’s Wish has granted more than 19,000 wishes for children and their families and fulfills approximately 1000 wishes annually — granting nearly three wishes everyday — each being an individual adventure, carefully structured to meet the needs of that particular child. The foundation has never refused a wish to an eligible child.

Each wish is as unique as the child who makes it. A wish can range from a personal computer or a home theatre system, to travel or a meeting with a celebrity.

Children’s Wish, a registered national charity with chapters in every province and territory, relies on the generosity of its donors and volunteers to make certain that no wish is refused. Children’s Wish has established itself as one of the most recognized registered charities in Canada and the most recognized organization when it comes to granting wishes for children diagnosed with life threatening illnesses.
 

Our Values

• We will never say no to a wish child.
• We will maintain quality by paying attention to detail in meeting every child’s request.
• We will use volunteer and donor resources wisely and with integrity of purpose.
• We will ensure that our activities reflect needs in communities in all parts of Canada.
• We will maintain effective working relationships with the medical community.
• We will conduct our activities with professionalism, integrity and compassion.
• We will work to create a supportive environment that promotes discussion, personal development and understanding.
• We will remember and treat with respect our grass roots heritage, never losing sight of the love and dedication that makes us The Children’s Wish Foundation.

 
Fundraisers are one very special way Children’s Wish raises money to make the dreams of kids coping with life threatening illnesses come true. Got a great promotional or sponsorship idea? We’d love to hear about it.

For more information or to talk to a fundraising expert please contact your local chapter at 1-800-267-9474. 

To get started on creating a local community event, click here to download an information form and return it to the chapter by email at .

Steps to a Successful Event

Get Help
It takes time, energy and “people” to host a successful fundraiser, so get others involved. Recruit individuals who support our cause,volunteers who are enthusiastic and dedicated, bringing various skills to the table.

Set Goals

Identify expected income, don’t forget your expenses. Keep in mind the lower your costs, the higher your contribution. Divide the tasks amongst your team and prepare a checklist of what needs to be done leading up to the day of the event

Enlist our help

You have your team together, you have decided on an event and your budget is set …what’s next? Fill in our fundraising proposal and speak to your local chapter representative. Once your event has been approved we will be happy to offer support to your success in the following ways (where appropriate):

• Guidance and input
• Use of Foundation promotional materials
• Wish Clouds
• Website Promotion
• Balloons, Stickers, Posters, Banners, Brochures
• Volunteer assistance, guest speakers and staff to attend
• Lend use of logo and branding (once a trademark agreement has been signed) NOTE: ALL PRINTED MATERIALS MUST BE REVIEWED BY YOUR LOCAL CHAPTER

 
Promotion
An event is only successful if people come to it, advertise and get the word out! Remember the lower the expenses the more money will be raised for our wish kids.

• Post your event on our website
• Word of mouth
• Local Media
• Community based websites
• Flyers
• Schools/Community Groups
• Libraries
• Community Centres

Wrap it up!

The event is over and what a success! Now it’s time to collect all the funds and thank your volunteers and participants. Let them know how much you appreciate(d) their support and how much money their efforts raised for our wish kids.

REFER A CHILD

The Children’s Wish Foundation – Facebook

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