It all started with a single wish, when a 7-year-old boy battling leukemia who wishes to be a police officer. In 1980, his Phoenix community came together to make his wish come true. Little did Chris know that his wish would create a movement that would transform millions of lives.

Today, the Make-A-Wish has been granting life-changing wishes for children and families for 40 years. After the start of Make-A-Wish in the United States in 1980. In 1993, Make-A-Wish International was officially formed to serve five countries outside the U.S. – and now helps to serve children outside the United States in nearly 50 countries on 5 continents through its 39 affiliates. With the help of our donors and more than 43,000 volunteers around the world, Make-A-Wish has collectively granted more than 500,000 wishes worldwide. This means a life-changing wish is granted every 16 minutes on average.