Thank you so much for granting Bryan's wish to Disney World!! Give Kids the World was wonderful. We went to Disney World for three days and then Cocoa Beach for a day. The last day we went to Sea World. It was definitely a well needed vacation that we would have never been able to do it without you!! I have enclosed some pictures of the trip. Words cannot express our thankfulness to you!!

Love,
Bryan's Family

I would like to thank you very much for sending me to New York City in March for my wish. I am just now writing you. After we got back, I started back to school for the first time this school year and had lots and lots of catching up to do so I would be able to graduate with my classmates.

Mom and I had a great time! It was awesome having a limousine pick us up at the house and be with us all day. Just a phone call and there it was!! Our driver was very nice and it was fun to have him drive us.

The Make-A-Wish representative from New York was also fun to be with. She was familiar with the city and made it a good experience.

Shopping was exciting. Since I lost so much weight, I pretty much purchased a whole new wardrobe. The one thing I definitely wanted was a Louis Vuitton purse. It was the first thing I purchased! And at the end of the day...I even got a matching wallet!

Thank you again for a very memorable day in New York, I will always cherish it.

Allison

In February 2007, our world was turned upside down when our son was diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL). During this time, our entire family has been under a lot of stress, including our three other children; Katelyn, Mark and Matthew. Even though they were not directly infected with Leukemia, they suffered as well. After several complications which were extremely painful for a 5 year old, John is now in the maintenance phase of his treatment. He is doing well at this time.

Several years prior to John being diagnosed, we would spend every Mother's Day watching the Make-A-Wish truck convoy in Lancaster County, close to our hometown. We were permitted to ride in the convoy for the first time in 2007. We had a great morning and joyous afternoon riding in the truck. It was an awesome day! When we learned that Make-A-Wish was available to our family we were excited.

We want to thank all the people who sponsor Make-A-Wish to help make dreams come true for children such as ours in a time of difficulty. Without this funding there would be so many children whose wishes could not be granted. We want to thank those on the Board of Make-A-Wish for all your hard work and dedication to such a great cause. And to the volunteers who, without you and your willingness to give of your time and kindness, wishes would not happen.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

May God Bless you all for everything you do.

Sincerely,
John's Family

Words cannot express how grateful we are for Ryan's wish!

We all had an unbelievable time and made tons of wonderful memories. It was great to be a family just having fun without worry.

We will never forget what you have done for us. Thank you so very much.

Sincerely,
Kirk, Holly & Ryan

My name is Iysis. My parents have attended the local Mothers Day truck convoy to support the Make-A-Wish cause for over 10 years! Never did they realize that one day their own child would be diagnosed with cancer and experience a wish of her own!

My wish was to go on a Disney Cruise. It was an awesome moment to see the limousine pull up to our door. The driver asked me if I was ready for my very special trip! That's when I knew it was not a dream. A few weeks before our travel plans were to take place we encountered some family illness. AT the time we were wondering if we would have to cancel but then everyone felt better and Mom started to pack our bags. I took along the stuffed bear MAW gave me along with all the information about our trip. Cubby, the name I gave him, helped me relax on the airplane since it was my first time flying.

How exciting to get on such a big ship! I was thrilled to see a poster on my door wishing me ‘A Magical Make-A-Wish Cruise.' My Disney Cruise was everything I dreamed about and so much more. The chance to meet Mickey, Minnie, Chip & Dale, Goofy and all the princesses was absolutely the best time I've had in a very long time. I was diagnosed with Lymphoma, November 2006, and had spent most of my time either in the hospital or home.

The white sand beaches and aqua blue water was fantastic, I had never seen the ocean so beautiful. I even tried snorkeling! My favorite thing to do on the island was lay on a raft, it felt like I was on the top of the world! It was a great vacation!

My "thank you" seems so small compared to all you've done for me, but it comes from my heart. I will never forget the kind gesture that you have given me. It will last a lifetime!

With Love, From One Magical Girl,
Iysis

Thank you for giving our son the opportunity to enjoy a week full of fun. I think his favorite thing was the carousel at the village after long days at the parks he always wanted to come back to the ride.

Thank you again,
Nicolas' Family

Thank you for the roll top desk. It is very nice and I use it every day. God Bless you as you continue to grant wishes for sick children.

Currently, I am in remission and feeling great.

Thanks Again,
Leon and Leon's parents

We would love to say thank you to all the people that made our son Dakota's wish come true. The trip to Disney World was absolutely wonderful. It was an experience that all of us will be talking about for many many years to come.

We arrived home last Friday the 28th of March and our son already wants to go back. He will talk to you for hours about everything and everyone he saw. The Give Kids the World is absolutely fabulous. The only sad part is we can go back to Florida but we can never stay at the village. (We can visit as many times as we want but can't stay there). You wouldn't have to go to the parks you could have a blast just being there.

We couldn't even begin to tell all of you how much we needed that and how much we appreciate everything. We plan to try and save money to go back to Florida when Dakota is done with his treatment in August of 2010. He wants to go back to see his star on the ceiling of the Castle of Miracles. We had a wonderful, wonderful time. THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!!!!!!!!!!! Universal Studios & Sea World gave us a lot of really nice pictures of Dakota. He feed the dolphins at Sea World. We also visited Gatorland. We went on a really neat ride at Epcot (Ellen Degenerous) that had really cool dinosaurs. That was right down Dakota's lane. He loves dinosaurs. We also saw a lot of neat dinosaurs at Animal Kingdom & Universal Studios. We were in the parade at Magic Kingdom. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. (70-80). It didn't rain the whole time we were down there. Dakota's grandparents drove down from Pa. to spend a little time (Wed. & Thurs.) with him down there. THIS TRIP WAS AN OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME FOR ALL OF US. We didn't realize how crazy and stressful our lives were. We are all so relaxed now. I could keep writing this letter and just go on and on but I have a feeling that I will eventually lose your attention. So I will close for now but thanks again for making our precious little guy's dream come true. Each and everyone of you that sponsor Make-A-Wish are absolutely wonderful.

Thank you,
Dave, Carol and Dakota

I had the greatest time I have ever had in my life. The trip was, from start to finish, the greatest experience I have ever had. The planning was perfect, the activities were perfect, and the game was awesome. I especially liked meeting the players. That was an experience that most people will never get. I loved talking to them and getting my footballs signed, and some even took pictures with me. The island was great. The beaches were nice, the weather was warm, and the island people were very kind. I have so many great memories now. I will undoubtedly remember this trip for the rest of my life. I would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible. Thank you, Make-A-Wish for planning my trip. Thank you, board members for approving my wish. And most of all, thank you to all the sponsors who paid for this trip. Without you, my trip, and many others, would not be possible. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity. You are truly the kindest people I have ever been associated with.

Sincerely,
Emory

On behalf of my entire family, I want to extend my thanks and appreciation to The Make A Wish Foundation which gave way to happiness in the lives of my sons (Terry and Mowoe).

Terry went on a shopping trip granted by Make A Wish, he now has things to help take his attention way from some level of his contagious pain episodes, as he struggles with sickle cell.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation also gave a trip to Disney World as a wish for Mowoe, fighting leukemia and living with Down's Syndrome. Living with two severely ill children has been difficult for us, but knowing we have the support of people like the Make A Wish Foundation, certainly helps. The Make A Wish Foundation gave my family a chance to spend a vacation in Disney World, escaping the day-to-day struggles of living with life-threatening illnesses. The Make A Wish Foundation has reached out with helping hands and wants to see smiles on the faces of children living with illnesses. The Make A Wish Foundation truly knows that when one member of a family has an illness, the entire family as a unit is affected, therefore my entire family had the opportunity to see some excitements and travel together. Please know that my family will not forget your kind gesture. Everyone in this universe has some kinds and I hope each contributor needs be met. I am sure no word is enough to thank your foundation but God's Blessings shall continue to prevail upon each contributor.

Dear Make-A-Wish Foundation,

Words cannot even come close to describing how amazing my trip to New York City to play in the pit orchestra for the Lion King on Broadway was. From beginning to end it was just one incredible opportunity after another. Without all the amazing people at Make-A-Wish my family and I never would have been able to have an experience even remotely similar to this one!

I had been to New York City several other times but had never had the chance to do all of the wonderful things Make-A-Wish had planned for us. I really enjoyed the bus tours of the city, learning the history of all the beautiful buildings was truly fascinating. It was also really neat to learn how many celebrities lived there and where they all live. Going up in the Empire State Building was also amazing. While my family and I were up in the tower we were fortunate enough to watch a snowstorm blow in from over the river. It was awe-inspiring to watch the storm from such a high altitude. And of course I also enjoyed (like so many other girls my age) the shopping!

To all of the sponsors, board members and volunteers and everyone involved; Thank you just doesn't seem like enough.

Our family had a blast at Disney World. It was so nice not have to worry about doctor appointments, treatment appointments, and medicine. It was a welcomed vacation. Being able to see our daughter have fun with the people as well as the characters was a blessing. Laughter rather than tears was the best thing for us to see our daughter experience. This wish was something we could have never afforded at this time and the greatest gift anyone has ever given us. As I write this letter, tears are welling up in my eyes remembering her reaction when she found out she was going to Disney World. She was so excited!!!

While we were on the wish we actually met another family with a little girl that had the same condition. If it was not for Make-A-Wish we would not have met this little girl, it is really nice to meet another family going through the same thing we are. I visit their website every day to see how she is doing, things are looking better for their family. Things are getting better for us too.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
Anthony, Jen and Madison

Our family recently returned from our Disney Cruise on the Disney Magic, and all we can say is that this family vacation was truly magic. Words can't describe the happiness David expressed on the trip and how happy that made us feel. David's wish was always to go on a cruise, but what he got on this trip was more than he ever could have expected or imagined, as it was the same for all of us. We can honestly say that the 7 days we spent out at sea were some of the best days we've ever had together as a family.

As soon as the bus that transported us from the Orlando Airport to Port Canaveral pulled up to the Disney Magic, you could instantly tell David's excitement through his expressions. And after that, we were warmly greeted by the ship's crew and even everyone's kindness and hospitality came to us as a welcome surprise.

I wanted to thank Make-A-Wish Foundation for providing a wonderful trip for my niece, Ashley. Ashley, and her cousins, Matthew and Michael had an awesome time together. It was great for my sister and me, along with my husband Paul, to spend some good quality time together and bring in the New Year.

Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for Make-A-Wish. Our trip was wonderful!!!

Wishing you Peace in the New Year,
Ashley's Family

I am writing to you on behalf of our family and especially our three year old daughter Maya. A few weeks ago Make-A-Wish Foundation sent us on an incredible trip to Disney World. Maya, like all of the kids you grant wishes to, has been through a terrible ordeal. To us, the trip you sent us on as a family was a celebration of Maya's life. How can I begin to describe for you the joy in her face?

Early in our trip we saw Cinderella. Maya, one of the more talkative children that you could ever meet, was stunned into silence. Her face that moment brought us as parents, the greatest possible joy.

It was a week filled with those magical moments. From Give Kids the World village, where we were treated to carousel rides, candy, ice cream, character meetings, carnivals, presents, cookies and on and on, to Disney where we went on every ride and attraction and saw every show imaginable. Universal and Sea World were also incredible destinations. Every destination was filled with wonderful surprises.

We can't thank you enough for giving our daughter and our family a way to see the world through rose colored glasses. While her struggle with cancer was a nightmare we have learned that the world is filled with incredibly kind people and organizations that care. Make-A-Wish has succeeded in fulfilling a dream of a little girl and in bringing a breath of fresh air and life to a family.

Please convey our deepest appreciation to the staff, volunteers and donors of Make-A-Wish Foundation and please let them know what they do makes an incredible impact on the lives of the children and their families!

Sincerely,
Maya's family

I can't begin to thank each one of you for all your help this past weekend and your tireless and positive ATTITUDE in helping Make-A-Wish come true for Kyle and his family. I am humbled and blessed to be working with such a GREAT group of friends. You have truly touched this young man's life and mine with your giving spirit and the generosity of your time and talent. Thanks for letting me be apart of YOUR team!

GO, GATORS! BEAT FSU!
Kyle's family

Wow! What a fantastic trip and a wonderful gift for our family!

There was no detail that wasn't planned perfectly, the people were all so helpful and 'Give Kids the World Village' is out of this world! I knew the children would have a good time but I never realized how much it would do for Will and me too. A 'thank you' can not express how grateful we are. What a difference you made in all our lives.

God bless you all.
Mary's Family

We would like to take this time to thank Make-A-Wish Foundation and their staff and the sponsors, who provide the funding to make wishes possible. Malique and his family really enjoyed the wonderful trip to Disneyworld.

The stay at the Give Kids the World was great and the best place for kids to stay with special needs. All the staff was so kind.

We'd like to say thank you, thank you, thank you, for giving us this time to have Malique's wish come true.

Malique's family

Our family cannot thank your organization enough for the wonderful trip you sponsored. Valerie's wish was to go to somewhere tropical and Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas was perfect.

We really enjoyed the many lagoons and beaches. We attended an exhibit called, The Dig, that replicates the sunken city of Atlantis and had tons of fun going to the water park, Aquaventure.

It was a pleasure to ride the limo to and from the airport especially since this was Valerie's first time in a limo. We enjoyed everything! This was truly a once in a lifetime experience for our family. We will never forget this trip. Valerie smiled so much!

Again, thank you so much for making her wish come true! We tell everyone about your worthwhile organization.

Sincerely,
Valerie's Family

We are sending a special thanks to ALL of the people who made this possible for us. I can never fully put into words what that week meant to us and how truly magical it was. For one week my little girl got to be just that, a little girl. She got to see the princesses and even meet one. She got to be a kid! For that I THANK YOU with all of my heart.

Thanks to all of the sponsors and their donations. Thanks also to the volunteers. This organization is wonderful and so are the people! I speak very highly to everyone I meet and pray that the wonderful things that go on with the help of such a place and people never stop. Truly and sincerely we send our prayers and thanks.

Taylor's Family

Luke's wish was that he could have authentic looking costumes of Anakin Skywalker for himself and Obi Wan Kenobi for his brother. Make-A-Wish came through with that wish and added on a trip to MGM Studios at Disney for a Star Wars Weekend.

We flew down had a couple of days to explore the various parks and then we went to MGM for the wish. It was great! We had our own guide to take us around to meet all the Star Wars characters, the kids marched in the parade dressed as Jedis and they even had a light saber battle with Darth Vader. The costumes are magnificent and our trip to Florida was beyond anything we could have imagined.

Thanks,
Luke's father

Please accept our gratitude for the experience Katie and the rest of her family enjoyed. We were all thrilled with everything; a once-in-a-lifetime limo ride, Katie's first airplane ride that she was invited to sit in the cockpit and talk with the pilots, the wonderful people who planned this, and all the volunteers and donations that made my little girl so happy! Thank you so much!

Katie loved the parks in Orlando and swimming every night at the pool. Since Katie's diagnosis of ALL, her life changed and needles, chemo and spinal taps replaced second grade. This gift of a trip to Orlando was just what we all needed. It gave us a new perspective and fresh energy to fight Katie's leukemia. Everyone who made this possible deserves all of our thanks and gratitude. God's blessings to all of you.

Katie's Family

I just wanted to thank the Make-A-Wish Foundation and all it's supporters for the wish my daughter Chelsea was granted.

Chelsea is 15 years old and a competitive swimmer. She was diagnosed in August 2006 with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and had to stop swimming for almost a year. She just got back in the water the May and will start competing again. She is really enjoying the hot tub. As soon as she gets home from practice, she gets in to relax.

Thanks again for all you do. This has really brought a smile to Chelsea and her family. We really appreciate all the hard work you had to do to make this happen.

Sincerely,
Chelsea's mother

My daughter Crystal was diagnosed with left hummers osteogenic sarcoma on July 13, 2006. She had amputation of her left arm in September 2006. She was going through so much. We couldn't have handled what she was going through with as much courage and strength as she did. I believe that the only thing that she really wished after so much was to be able to be with all her family for once. Something that she/we couldn't do when she was in the hospital.

When she found out about Make-A-Wish Foundation, her only hope was to finish her chemotherapy and be able to go to Florida. Her last treatment was on March 2007 and she knew that her wish would come true.

From the moment that the limousine got to our house she knew that her wish had come true. She enjoyed her trip so much; she loved the Kids Village, and she loved the attention that she was receiving from everybody. You make her feel extra special and now she knows that there are a lot of people out there that think of her and wishes her the best.

My family and I are so grateful for what you did. Our hearts are full of thanks and love and appreciation for every single one of you.

Thanks to all of the donors that make possible the smile of a special child.

Crystal's mom

I don't know if words can every express how much our trip to Chicago meant to us. We had a blast! Everyone was so friendly and treated us so great! I could never say thank you enough! Everyday was jammed packed with fun things for ALL of us to do - there was never a dull moment!

It was the first SPECIAL DAY with Justin AND what a bonus she got to meet all of Nsync!!! They were so wonderful with her and so nice to all of us! What a great bunch of guys. We had the best seats in the house for the all-star celebrity basketball game! That was so much fun! Genny has always been a HUGE Nsync fan - I never saw her happier then that day - she told us that night before she went to bed it was the first time in her life she wasn't sad that she was in a wheelchair-because she got to meet Nsync - and she got to go past all those other people who had to wait in line just to watch them! That was my favorite part!!! It was a day we will cherish forever! Thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to make ours!!!

With Love, Genny's Family
Susquehanna Valley Wish Child

Thank you so much for this trip to Disney World. We all had a wonderful time. We met some nice people at Give Kids the World. Sarah made friends and saw kids just like her. That meant a lot. We had the best time ever and can not thank you enough. Sarah got her wish and more. We greatly appreciate it!

Love,
Sarah's family

We had a WONDERFUL time on the Disney Cruise!!! Tristan absolutely LOVED it!!! I think that he was walking on cloud 9 the entire time.

Words cannot express how we feel. We are overwhelmed with gratitude. There were so many beautiful moments that we had on the cruise that will last a lifetime. It was very special and all of you and Disney Cruise Line made this such a wonderful and extra special experience for Tristan and our family. Thank you to you Yael, Marc and Velda for all that you do. You are angels!!! We would also like to thank all the people at Make a Wish and Disney Cruise line that help to make this happen. It was a truly remarkable experience.!!!

Thank you again soooooooooooooooooo much!

Love,
Sandy, Chris, Mariah, Rachel and of course, TRISTAN

Josiah learned how to rope a dummy calf! Josiah was so anxious for his trip to North Dakota to ride horses and be a cowboy. We made a chain link out paper with a little horse attached. Everyday once we got to June, we would take a link off. We cannot say thanks enough for giving Josiah his wish. He never stopped smiling. Thank you so much.

It was beautiful in North Dakota and real cowboy land. Everyone was so nice and helpful. Everything went so smooth and was organized wonderfully. Our family was so blessed by your Foundation, Josiah has been through so much and still goes through a lot, it was very special and much appreciated; to have such wonderful and terrific memories, during a rough time in his life. Thanks again for all you do and making our trip so special. We have friends and memories that will last forever.

With all our love, Josiah's Family
Susquehanna Valley Wish Child

Michael Jordan is a very humble person. He talked about motivation with Sammy. I would like to send an essay written by Sammy in school about his experience through life and about his illness He got A for the essay!!

Many thanks,
Sammy's father

Thank you so much for our Disney Wish come true. Shawna really enjoyed her Make-A-Wish trip to Give Kids the World. The staff and volunteers could not have been any more friendly nor helpful. It was a dream vacation and our whole family enjoyed it. We loved the trips to the theme parks, but the loving, quiet atmosphere of Give Kids the World really added to the enjoyment. Shawna enjoyed being treated like a princess. We took advantage of Give Kids the World Village fun mornings and evening activities and managed to go the Disney / Universal parks during the day. I can't thank you enough for giving our family a fun, relaxing, environment to enjoy together without the stress of our daily lives. Shawna also caught her first fish at Give Kids the World. I am attaching some of my many photos for your review.

The memories that we will all have from this trip are priceless and we will cherish forever. Thanks again for making magic for our special little girl.

Thanks especially to our coordinator.

We appreciate all the work done – airline tickets, rental car, GKTW stay, Disney tickets, and the gifts that were sent with the volunteers. This would not have been possible without all of you at the Make-A-Wish Foundation! You really do make wishes come true!

Thank you, again, to everyone involved!

Sincerely,
Shawna and Family!

The gratitude that we have for the Make a Wish Foundation can really not be expressed in words. We feel that Thank you is just not enough. Khmaia was treated as the Princess that we know her to be, but others never have the chance to learn of her. This was a dream come true for her. I CAN NOT BELIEVE that we were able to take our daughter to Disney and you made it possible for her. She saw and took all the pictures with her favorite characters, she yelled and shouted on her first roller coaster, made friends, ate all the ice cream she wanted, rode all the rides she wanted to, swam, ate and ate.... DID i mention she ate! (just kidding) . It was just too wonderful.

Before I bore you with so much writing, I am going to end it here and say " THANK YOU, THANK YOU Make A Wish and yes THANK YOU LORD for these awesome people.My plan is to give back to the organization, I would love to assist and volunteer in any way that I can. My husband and I hope that someday we will be able to sponsor a family, the same way another has made it possible for us.

God bless you!
Kahmaia and family

The party was such a success!!! All the kids had a great time. The characters were so good to her. If you could have seen her face when Elmo came....it made me cry.

This was so nice and thoughtful. Not only did Erica enjoy the day but all the disabled children there did too. Their families told me how special they felt to be there and how the kids are still talking about it. Three of the girls rarely get involved in anything and yet with the characters we couldn't get them to sit down and stop hugging them! Amazing how Muppets can help kids who don't communicate. This was an everlasting memory for our family and friends.

Thanks again, you all are so lovely.

Sincerely
Erica's Mother