About Us

Make-A-Wish^® Massachusetts and Rhode Island grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.

 

According to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 500 children in Massachusetts and Rhode Island are newly diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions every year. Our vision is to grant wishes for every medically eligible child annually.

 

 

The joy began in 1987, when Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island fulfilled its very first wish: a family trip to York Beach for a little girl with Niemann-Pick Disease. Since that first inspired wish, the organization has served over 5,000 children in Massachusetts and over 1,000 children in Rhode Island.

 

We have grown from granting a single wish in our first year to granting 390 wishes in during our 2011 fiscal year.  Our mission extends from the Berkshires to Cape Cod, from Providence to Newport, through three offices in two states.
  

 

Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises all funds locally.  We receive contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations, and through fundraising events.

 

Our organization honors our community’s generosity by exercising the utmost fiscal responsibility.  According to our most recent audit, 80 percent of every dollar donated is directed to children’s wishes.  We keep administrative costs low by leveraging the skills of 600+ volunteers who help coordinate wishes.