Make-A-Wish North Texas

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The Campaign for Every Child’s Wish

The Waitlist Ends with You.

Our vision is clear: to eliminate the waitlist and ensure that every child receives their wish without delay.

1,150
Children waiting
600
Wishes / year
2x
Qualify for every one granted
Amy
Amy Age 5
02 — From Kim Elenez

Dear Friends,

Right now, 1,150 children across North Texas are waiting for a wish that research tells us could change their medical outcome. Some have been waiting two years.

That number is not an abstraction. It’s a child named Neeno, who turned seven in a hospital room. It’s a six-year-old named Paisley who has never had a play space that felt like hers. It’s a boy named Lawson whose family drove three hours each way for treatment, and who has never once asked for anything in return.

We have everything we need to reach every one of them — the staff, the infrastructure, the relationships with physicians across 161 counties. What we don’t have yet is the funding to close the gap. That’s why I’m writing to you.

You have the power to end this wait. Not symbolically. Specifically. Every gift funds a wish delivered during treatment — when it can change not just how a child feels, but how they fight.

The research is clear. The need is now. Not after treatment ends — but in the middle of the journey, when hope can change everything. And I believe you’re exactly the kind of person who acts when it matters most.

Kim Elenez
President & CEO, Make-A-Wish North Texas
2.5X
fewer unplanned hospital admissions for wish recipients
Patel Study, 2018
97%
of wish children say the experience helped them look forward to the future
$34M+
in projected healthcare cost savings when wishes are granted on time
Dr. Anup Patel, Nationwide Children’s
03 — Their stories

Two Years Is Too Long

Amy · Age 5

She has waited half her life for hope.

Amy was three years old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Since then, childhood has looked different for her family: treatments, hospital visits, and uncertainty. The kind of days no parent imagines for their child. When Amy and her family learned she was going to receive a wish, they had something to look forward to. That was nearly three years ago.

Amy has never traveled and has never seen the ocean. Her wish is to go to Destin to build sandcastles, play in the waves, and spend time with her family. For her parents, the wish means something even bigger. After everything they have faced, they long for a chance to step away from cancer, simply be together, and give Amy a dream they could never make happen on their own.

Make-A-Wish · Their stories
03 — Their stories
Jordan · Age 11

He has spent countless hours in an infusion chair while his mind has been somewhere else.

Jordan is eleven years old and lives with Pompe disease. Every time he sits through an infusion, he imagines the people lucky enough to be out at sea. He imagines sailing with dolphins swimming alongside the ship, and a world that feels bigger than hospitals and treatments. For his wish, a cruise through the Caribbean means he gets to set sail in friendly waters.

A wish cannot take away the hours spent in an infusion chair, but it can give this eleven-year-old boy the chance to leave them behind for a little while and discover that the adventures he dreams about are still waiting for him.

Madeleine · Age 6

She is six years old and waiting for her best friend.

Madeleine is six years old and living with a brain tumor. Like many children facing a critical illness, she has spent more time than any child should in hospitals and doctors’ offices. Along the way, she discovered something that brings her comfort: dogs. She loves to pet the therapy dogs that visit the hospital and walking her cousin Arthur’s dog. She is drawn to their gentle nature and the quiet companionship they seem to offer without asking for anything in return. Madeleine’s wish is for a dog of her own.

For her parents, the wish is about more than bringing home a puppy. They hope for a loving companion to grow up beside her, comfort her through difficult days, and help their family create new memories that have nothing to do with illness.

Make-A-Wish · Their stories
03 — Their stories
Seth · Age 12

He doesn’t want to stand out. He just wants to be a kid.

Seth is twelve years old and lives with a severe respiratory disorder. Most days begin and end with breathing treatments, medications, and the routines that keep him healthy enough to face the next day. In between are therapy appointments, trach care, and the countless moments of medical care that shape his childhood. But Seth’s world is bigger than his diagnosis. He loves video games, Power Rangers, Marvel superheroes, and remote-control cars. He likes listening to music, taking evening walks, and spending time with the people he loves.

And despite everything he has been through, he does not like being the center of attention. He would rather simply blend in and be one of the kids. Seth has not yet chosen his wish — he continues to wait on our list. And yet, as he dreams about the possibilities just for him, he sees it will be a chance to step beyond the routines of illness and experience something every child deserves: the freedom to simply be himself.

Wyatt · Age 6

He was supposed to meet Mickey for his fifth birthday. Cancer had other plans.

Wyatt was one week away from his fifth birthday when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His family had planned a trip to Disney World to celebrate. Instead, they began a journey of treatments, hospital visits, and uncertainty. Wyatt was devastated. Now six years old, he still asks when he can go see Mickey.

His wish is to finally take the trip he has been dreaming about, this time with his grandmother, LaLa, by his side as his special friend. If all goes as planned, it will come after he finishes treatment, giving his family something they have been waiting for almost as long as Wyatt has.

Make-A-Wish · Their stories
04 — The data

Two Qualify.
One Granted.

With your help, that number shrinks. The gap doesn’t close on its own. It closes because someone decided it should. Help us reduce the wait.

PRE-PANDEMIC
PANDEMIC
RECOVERY
FUTURE
0
450
900
1,350
1,800
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030
Wishes Waiting
Wishes Granted

With your support, the gap closes and every wish gets granted.

1,150
children waiting today
600
wishes granted per year
1,000
new children qualify yearly
Texas adds 1,000+ new residents daily. The qualifying pipeline grows whether we act or not.
05 — The ask

Here is where
you come in.

Grant a Wish
The direct line between your gift and a child’s life. Fund the wish from granting to fulfillment.
Become a Volunteer
Power the Journey
Cover the essentials that make every wish possible: travel, accommodation, equipment, experience.
Make a Gift
Make It Unforgettable
Elevate the experience so the memory lasts a lifetime — for the child and the whole family.
End the Wait
06 — Why now

They’ve Waited Years.
You Can Change That.

Our costs are rising to meet demand — but without new philanthropic investment, expenses will outpace revenue by 2026, creating a funding gap just when the most children need us. The window to act is now. With your support, we close the gap and grant every wish on the list.

PRE-PANDEMIC
PANDEMIC
EMERGENCE
FUTURE
$0M
$4.5M
$9M
$13.5M
$18M
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
Revenue ($mm)
Expenses ($mm)
$4.3M
projected funding gap in 2026
93%
of every dollar goes directly to wish delivery — just 7% covers administrative costs
Now
is the critical window to invest
Rising operational costs demand a surge in philanthropic investment. A gift today directly closes the gap between the children who need us and the resources we have.

End the wait.

To learn more or make your gift
Kim Elenez
President & CEO
Clayton Ellis
Chief Development Officer
Learn more or give onlineNTX.WISH.ORG