Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We have granted over 11,000 wishes since our inception in 1983. No child should ever have to endure the struggle and pain that come with battling a life-threatening illness. Giving back to these children, what their illness has taken away - laughter, strength, hope and joy, is our sole purpose at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey. The New Jersey Chapter serves the entire state of New Jersey.

Our vision is to grant the wish of every eligible child.

Goal One: 1. Continue to increase our medical outreach and wish-granting capacity to reach 100% incident rating – approximately 700 children in NJ are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness each year.

Goal Two: 2. Grant every eligible wish currently in our pipeline and on hold due to COVID-related restrictions, in addition to all newly-referred eligible children this year.

Goal Three: 3. Raise the vital funds needed to grant the wishes of every eligible child. This will result in an ongoing increased budget year-over-year.

We have partnered across our Make-A-Wish network to provide virtual, collaborative leadership opportunities which promote best practices and to improve, strengthen and secure our technology infrastructure.

During the pandemic, many types of wishes continued to be granted to children with critical illnesses - backyard pools, campers, puppies, virtual shopping sprees, hot tubs, gaming computers, filming equipment, bedroom and basement makeovers, etc. Wishes were delivered in new, safe ways, including car parades, police escorted deliveries, and even porch drop-offs with staff at a safe distance from the home – and many responsibilities that prior to the pandemic relied heavily on 300+ active volunteers were shifted to a staff of 25-30. In addition to the granting of project wishes that involved added research, vendors and resources, there were added complications including delays in product availability, manufacturing, shipping interruptions and even labor shortages, there was also the added workload factor of ensuring constant communication with wish families whose wishes were put on hold. Pandemic situations continued to change, as did family situations – some wish children have chosen to continue to wait for their travel wishes, while others chose to determine a different wish that could be granted immediately. Wishes being granted during the pandemic, in many cases, became high cost and required the support of donors to continue to grant every wish that was eligible and able to be granted safely. As we continue to take steps towards re-emergence, donor support is vital to fund the pipeline of other high-cost travel wishes that have been on hold, as well as the continually growing pipeline of referrals. Children are being diagnosed daily with a critical illness that would qualify for our mission, and our vision is to reach every eligible child and create a life-changing wish experience for them.