The Children’s Wish Foundation wants to help provide Saskatchewan children suffering from high risk, life threatening illnesses with a positive experience, as they have done for children in Weyburn, but they need support from the public to be able to provide wishes for children.

People can help by volunteering and by joining the Wishmaker’s Walk, which will be held in Weyburn on Saturday, Oct. 16, and by donating to the Children’s Wish Home Lottery.

The Children’s Wish Foundation has granted 16,000 wishes across the country, with 700 wishes granted in Saskatchewan and four wishes in Weyburn, with two wishes being worked on. “The journey the family goes through is unimaginable, that is why the Children’s Wish Foundation is so special,” explained Chapter Director Carla Loney-Tindall during a recent visit to Weyburn “Every wish that has been granted is worth $10,000.”

“The Home Lottery and the Wishmaker’s Walk help create awareness locally of the Children’s Wish Foundation. Also the wish is for the kids and is not about financial status but about a wish, as a wish is the nicest thing to do for a child and their family,” said Loney-Tindall.

“The wishes give the children something positive to focus on and is a great diversion from their illness.” Wishes are categorized in three areas which include travel, celebrity and item. “Kids have met Wayne Gretzky, Dolly Parton and Avril Lavigne. We have a girl from Weyburn who wants to meet Taylor Swift,” stated Loney-Tindall.

The Wish Foundation is currently holding their 21st annual Children’s Wish Foundation Home Lottery. This fundraising event helps raise funds to grant wishes for children throughout the province.

“One of my goals as a chapter director is that every child with a high-risk illness has their wish granted.,” said Loney-Tindall. Children who are eligible to receive a wish are between ages three to 17. These children are diagnosed with a high-risk disease or illness, such as all types of cancer, cystic fibrosis, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy and organ failure, which is a small sample of illnesses that qualify children for a wish.

“At the end of the day I hope the family looks back on the wish as a positive time in their lives that they’ll cherish forever, because of all the medical challenges the children are faced with for months, years and for the rest of their lives which doesn’t allow them to participate and do what most kids get to do,” said Loney-Tindall.

Anyone who knows of a child can refer them by calling the Wish Foundation office.