One Simple Wish to Grant the 'Ultimate' Wish for Foster Children Across the U.S.
Traveling more than 6,000 miles in six weeks to find forever families for foster care youth
TRENTON, N.J., June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Coming off the heels of May's National Foster Care Awareness Month, One Simple Wish – the nonprofit that empowers anyone to brighten the lives of foster children and vulnerable families – is beginning a nationwide call-to-action tour. Beginning on the east coast (Trenton, NJ) and coming full circle, with the last of its stops in Springfield, MA, the 6,000 mile, six-week journey aims to find a loving home for up to 100 foster children and encourage greater awareness and support for local foster children.
While some boys and girls are closing their eyes and wishing they could fly a rocket ship, own a mansion, become a princess in a lofty castle, or ride the amusements at the happiest place on Earth, over 100,000 foster children in the U.S. are legally free for adoption and wishing for something much simpler: a family. To make these wishes a dream come true, the One Simple Wish team will road trip to various cities across the country and host inspiring events that celebrate these deserving children. The crew will sit down with a number of these children to hear 'what makes them tick' and learn more about their ambitions for the future. Each of their stories and interviews will be catalogued for an upcoming documentary and weekly webisode gallery. It is with hope that those at home, following the benevolent journey, make emotional connections with the real 'stars' of these videos, feel inspired and want to help. For Founder and Executive Director of One Simple Wish, Danielle Gletow, being afforded the opportunity to help build a family is the ultimate end goal.
"Making a difference and adopting a child are not mutually exclusive acts," says Danielle. "In fact, while we would love to find homes for every child, this trip is not about moving mountains OR casting stones. Instead, we want to give these invisible children the chance to have their voices heard, let their personalities shine and become a special part of someone's family."
Being cognizant of the fact that not everyone has the ability and means to adopt, but still wants to effect change, Danielle and her team have worked hard to streamline the process of making contributions and joining the crusade – whether the altruist wants to give an inch or a mile. The spectrum of involvement can range from sponsoring a mile (or leg on the tour), to sponsoring a child and granting their "Big" or "Small" wishes, to growing your family and becoming a forever parent to one (or more) lucky child(ren). Making the decision to show support is just a click away on www.ultimatewish.org.
One Simple Wish will be taking this tour on the road with the hashtag #ultimatewish, and everyone looking to spread the word has their chance to "shout it out" on Twitter and Facebook. Supporters are also encouraged to join One Simple Wish's Thunderclap to help "turn up the volume" on the call to action via their social media channels. The tour will garner additional support through the helping hands of national sponsors, including Wells Fargo, Hasbro, Inc. and Volkswagen Group of America.
About The Ultimate Wish Tour
For over five years, One Simple Wish has been making simple wishes come true for children in foster care. This summer, the One Simple Wish team will embark on a 6,000+ mile journey across the US to attempt to make the ultimate wish come true for up to 100 of America's legally-free foster kids who are waiting for a place to call home. One Simple Wish wants to find them a family. The team will live in an RV for 6 weeks as they capture and share the stories of America's invisible children for an upcoming short documentary and for webisodes that will be broadcasted weekly online. During the journey people will be given simple yet powerful ways to connect to each child through www.ultimatewish.org.
About One Simple Wish
One Simple Wish was born in 2008 to empower everyone to support foster children and at-risk youth who've been victims of abuse, neglect and abandonment in very simple yet meaningful ways. For these children, simple things such as a new pair of sneakers or a chance to attend baseball camp can make a world of difference. Children deserve happy childhoods and One Simple Wish creates them. For more about how you can brighten the life of a child in need right now visit www.onesimplewish.org
SOURCE One Simple Wish
Share this article