Make-A-Wish® Hosts Global World Wish Day® Celebration to Thank Those Who Make Wishes Possible

Make-A-Wish offices worldwide thank "wish granters" of all kinds on April 29

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Apr 25, 2017, 08:00 ET

PHOENIX, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Make-A-Wish^® – the global organization that grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses – will celebrate its annual World Wish Day^® on April 29. On World Wish Day, more than 100 Make-A-Wish chapters and affiliates around the world will recognize all the supporters who fuel the wish granting movement by giving their time, resources and money. The worldwide day of thanks acknowledges that it requires "wish granters" of every type – including doctors, social workers, donors, child-life specialists, volunteers, corporate partners and wish families – to transform lives one wish at a time.

World Wish Day takes place annually on April 29, in honor of the day that inspired the founding of Make-A-Wish 37 years ago. Since then, Make-A-Wish has expanded from granting a handful of wishes a year to granting a wish every 17 minutes worldwide, on average. The exponential growth in wish granting is important because a newly released, independent study shows a wish-come-true can serve as a turning point, giving seriously ill children the strength to live with, or even overcome, their medical challenges.

"We know that it takes a global community of support to bring these wishes to fruition," said Jon Stettner, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish International. "World Wish Day is our chance to say 'thank you' to the thousands of people who turn a child's imagination and vision into an experience that changes lives." Make-A-Wish America president and CEO, David Williams, adds: "World Wish Day is a time for Make-A-Wish to give thanks to all our donors, corporate partners, volunteers and referral sources whose support makes life better for wish kids, their families and communities worldwide."

In honor of World Wish Day, Make-A-Wish is showcasing the types of supporters behind each life-changing wish through a new video series available at wish.org/worldwishday. The website also features a real-time look at wishes and events taking place throughout the world on April 29.

Individuals can show support for those who make wishes come true by: (1) sharing a World Wish Day message with the hashtag #worldwishday on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and (2) adding a World Wish Day profile picture frame to their profile photos on Facebook. To learn more, visit http://wish.org/worldwishday.

SOURCE Make-A-Wish Foundation of America