April 29, 2025 • 30 mins
Community DC Host Dennis Glasgow visits with President and CEO for Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic Lesli Creedon about what she and her team do, to make hundreds of wishes come true every year, events, donations, volunteer and much more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community d C.
I'm your host, Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we get a
chance to talk about a nonprofit you probably have heard
of many times before, but maybe though you knew what
they did, but it's so much more, and that's Make
a Wish and our guest the mid Atlantic president and
CEO for Make a Wish, Leslie Creeden. Over the next
thirty minutes, we'll talk extensively about what Leslie and her
(00:24):
team do to create hundreds of wishes every year, upcoming events,
and how you can help. Here's my conversation with Leslie.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Good morning, Leslie, Good morning Dennis.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Well, it is a pleasure to talk to you. Welcome
to Community DC. This is the first time that you're
on the program. I've been doing this for almost four
years and my bad for not having you on before.
But we have a connection. And he said, listen, you
need to get Leslie and Make a Wish on the show.
And I'm so happy that we have the introduction we're
able to get you on and I want to talk
for the next thirty minutes about all that you and
(00:55):
your team do at Make a Wish. Obviously, being around
on the planet for a couple of years, I know
what Make a Wish is, but as I was researching,
I was really impressed by all that you do. But
I'd like to give an education to our listeners because
I think everybody's probably heard of Make a Wish and
your foundation, but let's give an overview about what you do,
just to educate our listeners what does Make a Wish
(01:15):
actually do well.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
First, let me start by saying thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I love telling the Make a Wish story because, like
you said, we have second only to Saint Jude's the
highest recognition name recognition of all nonprofits in the United States,
and are consistently ranked as number one or number two
of the most trusted charities. But people really do not
(01:42):
understand the scope and depth and breadth of what we
do and also how we operate. What we do is,
you know, in a nutshell, it's pretty simple. It's that
we come into a child's life when they're battling a
critical illness and we grant them they're one through.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It's that simple.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
But everything behind it are things that people don't really realize. So,
you know, The majority of Americans still think that we
are the last wish organization and that we only grant
wishes to children who are terminal, and in fact, that
is just not true. About seventy five percent of the
(02:26):
kids who receive a wish are living through and beyond
their initial diagnosis and often credit the wish as something
that gives them the determination and strength to battle on.
People don't realize that we are a local organization, that
we are embedded in local communities and granting wishes to
(02:48):
their neighbors and to their children's friends, their coworkers' children.
Here in the mid Atlantic, we actually receive around four
hundred and fifty qualified referrals every year, and every single
one of those children who have an eligible referral get
(03:09):
their wish.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Nobody is turned away.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
That's really extraordinary.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
You know.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
The one thing that when I get to read or
hear about make a Wish in the news, it seems
like celebrities, musicians, sports teams, private donors, everybody kind of
steps up for that special experience. And I just want
to say, and I'll probably say this a couple of times,
that there must not be something more gratifying that you
(03:33):
and your team do along with your partners to grant
these wishes. And I'm glad you clarified that it's not
a final wish because I didn't know that information, and
I think that's good context to have to this. And
I can see why when you bring something special into
a child who's sick and their life and that family too,
when they're going through a very difficult time. And I've
(03:55):
got a twenty two year old daughter that, knock on wood,
has been pretty healthy. So I'm always in awe of
Saint Jude and also nonprofits like yours, Leslie and make
a Wish that you're doing these extraordinary things that normally
wouldn't happen in somebody's life. So I imagine just when you
see it develop every day and you execute the wish,
it's it's got to be extraordinary for you and your
team and the partner that you're working with that day.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
It's it's a real it's an honor and an immense
responsibility that my team and I and all of our
volunteers have to make these magical moments come true for children.
But you're right, I think people, you know, we talk
about the power of positive thinking, and that's.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Really what a wish provides.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
There is a large body actually of empirical research that
talks about how a wish provides trauma relief not just
to the child but to their entire family, and that
it really provides emotional, mental, and even physical well being
long past the wish itself.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I'd love to hear about the process, about how it
all works, and we'll talk about that, but I think
it's really important to get this out of the way,
and we'll talk about donations near the end, because you
can do that folks on the website in many different levels.
But how are you funded?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
We are funded one hundred percent by philanthropy. We rely
on individual donations, corporate partnerships, foundation grants, and revenue from
special events that we host or others host for us.
And again that is all local philanthropy. So as the
Make a Wish mid Atlantic what we call ourselves a
(05:34):
chapter of the Make a Wish America Foundation. All of
the children that we serve are in Northern Virginia, d
C in Maryland. We're responsible for their wishes and ninety
nine percent of our money comes from local supporters.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Love that.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
It's it's great that you know celebrities and sports teams
and amusement parks, well, they'll don't their services in kind
or at a discounted rate. We still have to have
cash to pay for those wishes, right, even a fantastic
trip to the Orlando theme parks, we still pay for
airfare and food and lodging. And it's not just the
(06:17):
child that participates in the wish, but it's their entire
family living in the household, because this is really about
creating family memories and giving a respite to the entire
unit that is surrounding that child.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
And I don't want to make any assumptions depending on
the wish, but I imagine it's just taking a breath and
a break from the brutalness that's going on at that
moment with a child that's either terminally ill or ill
at the moment, and just taking a break to have
some fun that they usually don't get to do. I mean,
that's probably the big thing here, right.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
That is definitely part of it.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
For other families, it's a celebration at the end of treatment.
We work very closely with the parents and the child's
medical team to make sure we're granting the wish when
it can have the greatest impact on that child's wellbeing.
So it's not unusual for us to grant a wish
right before a child has an upcoming procedure or something
(07:20):
that's very serious in their treatment journey, because we want
them to go in that with positivity, with resilience, with strength,
and a wish can provide that. You hear countless stories
from doctors and parents about how a child comes back
from a wish a completely different person, with a completely
(07:40):
different outlook, and that wish has really provides something that
medicine can't.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Yeah, and you're talking about the psychology of just the
human spirit. And I don't know if there's an empirical
date about this, but it makes sense before something big
and huges coming up that might be scary or daunting
and all that, and you're trying to put everybody to
eat with enjoying themselves, having some fellowship and some fun.
Once again, as I was talking about that daily grind
(08:06):
that you know, any parent like myself that doesn't know
what some of these parents and these families are going through,
just giving them a little bit of a break before
something big happens.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
It's scary, That's exactly right, Yeah, you nailed it well.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I want to talk about criteria because you talked about
the number of four hundred and fifty and I don't
want to make any assumptions about criteria. So if somebody
would like to reach out to you to have a
possible wish considered, how does the whole process work?
Speaker 3 (08:33):
So any family member or doctor or nurse can go
to our website and.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Refer a child.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
But the very very best thing to do, because we
don't want to disappoint anybody, is to first talk with
your child's doctor or social worker. We have partnerships with
all of the major pediatric specialists and hospitals in our region,
Children's National, John's, Bupkins I know, but Children's Hospital Georgetown Kaiser,
(09:05):
and we have built relationships with them so that those doctors,
social workers, child life specialists know when a child gets
a diagnosis that makes them eligible for a wish and
knows how to complete the paperwork and refer them. So
the very best thing is to start with your child's
medical team. But it is more than just as I said,
(09:28):
terminal illnesses. We grant wishes to children who are suffering
from pediatric cancers, in blood disorders, certain neurological diseases, in
cardiac diseases, solid organ transplants, sickle cell There are about
thirty two different diagnoses that will make a child eligible
(09:51):
to get one of our life transforming experiences.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
So when somebody has a grish wayn granted and they
get to do something, is there a shock prone to
make sure everything goes well? How does it all monitor
to make sure it's all executed with the partner that
you're doing the wish with.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Well, that's a really good question.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Are Our mission delivery team here in the mid Atlantic
has been granting wishes since nineteen eighty three. We've granted
over eleven thousand, five hundred wishes here locally.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
And the best part about.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Make a Wish being a nationwide and even international organization
is wherever we're sending a child, there is somebody local
on the staff of Make a Wish that is there
to make sure the wish goes well. Our staff is
on call twenty four to seven. If there is a
flight that is delayed, the family can just pick up
the phone and call it that.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
We don't chaperone the wishes.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
We want it to be a family sure experience, but
We're always there to make sure it's the best possible
experience and that there are no bumps in the road.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
So Leslie, I imagine since nineteen eighty three, there is
just a long database of all the wishes and I'm
sure some of you have blown you away, and I'd
like you to share in just a little bit because
we have a lot of time to talk. We still
have twenty minutes to chat about some really cool stories
out there, and I'm sure there are hundreds of not thousands,
of amazing wishes out there. But when it comes to that,
is your team coming up with new ideas that are
(11:15):
cool or do you go and work with that organization
because they know what they're doing to make a wish
come true. How does it all come together about figuring
out what wish the child or the family would like
and then executing it. How does that work?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Well, it's it's not about us.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
It is one hundred percent about the child, and it's
not even really what the parents want. We try our
darness to make sure mom and dad aren't getting a
wish that they want, but it's really something that the
child wants because when you think about it, in addition
to the power of positivity. When a child is going
through you know, a pediatric cancer for example, radiation, chemotherapy,
(11:58):
spinal taps, every thing is being done to them. They
have no control or power over anything that is happening
to them except when it comes to the wish. So
we have around three hundred and fifty volunteers all around
the region that once a child is deemed eligible and
the doctors have signed the paperwork, we send volunteers out
(12:21):
to meet with these kids and they play games with them,
They help them imagine.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
All of the different wishes.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
They really get to know the child and what's going
to bring them joy and happiness, and then we create
a wish that is uniquely tailored to that child.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
But it is all about what they want.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
And you know, maybe this is a good time to
also mention, you know, there are five big categories of wishes.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Some people just you know.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Can't get you. Please, please go ahead. What's a wish?
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Yeah, So we have our kids dream in five big
air big categories. The first is to go, so to
go anywhere, right, Disney Hawaii, skiing, you name it, Disney cruises, basically,
any travel wish that you could imagine, they could meet
(13:13):
somebody like you said earlier, the John Cenas, the pop stars,
the YouTubers and influencers, to be I want to be
a princess, I want to be a mermaid. That's when
our team gets really creative and works with party planners
and you name it to kind of create these fanciful
(13:35):
superhero experiences where a child is living out their dream.
Then to have is probably our broadest category, basically any
kind of physical item that we can give to you,
and that ranges from computers and gaming systems to puppies
and horses, backyard play sets, campers so you and your
(13:59):
family can travel safely, even college tuition. We recently granted
a wish to a young girl who wanted to have
lunch with R two D two, so we got her
George Lucas certified R two D two robot from Germany
that she now has forever and she can have lunch
(14:20):
and dinner and whatever she wants to do with that.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
With R two D two.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
And then finally, the fifth category is to give, and
that's when children give their wish to others, truly truly
selfless desires for us to make a donation to their
charity of choice to give it paid forward to a
food bank, to their hospital, have a nice dinner for
(14:48):
their family and friends.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Those are the.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Wishes I think that are truly inspiring to me is
to see a child say I want it for somebody else.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I think it's a good time to talk about volunteering
in and donations because I know that's important. So there's
a lot of little levels to that. So first of all,
volunteering and then donations, we'll talk about how do you
volunteer for your organization?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Well, the best thing to do is go to our
website www dot mid Atlantic dot Wish dot org and
you'll can see about the five or six different categories
we have to volunteer. As I mentioned, we rely on
volunteers to be our arms and legs in the community
and our connections with the families.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
We are always looking for people who.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Are compassionate individuals who want to really get to know
and work closely with these these children, and they form
incredible bonds with them. It's it's a very special, special experience,
and I think our volunteers get as much, if not
more out of it than the Wish children themselves, I bet.
(15:58):
And then there are other oportunities to serve on host
committees for fundraising events, to serve on different leadership councils
that are trying to raise awareness of our organization in
different regions of the mid Atlantic. And then of course
we have people who volunteer to fundraise for us. You know,
(16:19):
you have your church do an event, have your restaurant
do a customer engagement campaign, have your employees give back,
so all sorts of ways that you, on your own,
but with support from US, can contribute financially to make
a wish come true and actually meet that child and
(16:40):
really kind of a sponsor a wish itself.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
And to that point, I think we should remind everybody
besides just going on the website and making one time
or making regular monthly donations or an annual I know
that it's really important that you partner up and not
just with sports teams and athletes and everybody else, but
there are small, medium, and large businesses I imagine can
also be partnered with you. Somebody that's listening to this
interview today that owns one of those businesses and maybe
(17:04):
wants to partner with you. How do they do that?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Again?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
You can go to our website and there is a
link to express interest in becoming a corporate partner, and
you're right. For every dollar we raise, we rely on
an additional fifty cents of in kind donations to help
us reach the number of wishes we want to grant
every year. So construction companies who want to come out
(17:31):
and help us build a tree house or help us
with a room renovation very important. Individuals who have excess
airline miles. Travel is our biggest expense every year. If
people can donate their airline miles, we can use those
and cash those in to send children on wishes to
go certain places. So small businesses who can help by
(17:55):
having customer engagement campaigns, and we even just recently had
one who've supported and ran his own cornhole tournament and
raised over twenty five thousand dollars. So it's whatever you
want to do to leverage your networks and your unique talents,
we can work with you to help grant wishes.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
As you know, on this series, we talk to nothing
but nonprofits that are in the DMV, whether they're a
national or local to the area here. And I don't
do it justice by trying to explain to our listeners
how hard it is to fundraise when you're a nonprofit,
and I know that's a lot of your job. So
with that said, when it comes to it, I know
that you know there's it's not always unicorns and rainbows,
(18:36):
and you're doing so many special things out there. But
if there are certain challenges right now beside actual fundraising,
because I think that's the number one thing for nonprofit
of just raising money all the time you talked about
the airplane travel, are there other challenges in the industry
right now for you and your team?
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Well, you know, I think given the economy that we're
all in here and the uncertainty around it, by far,
fundraising is a big concern right now.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Say inflation, right the cost of a wish is.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
Going up, and so again that ripples out into the
need to raise more money. And also we want to
make sure that our children see themselves in the wishes
that are being granted and in the people that they're
interacting with. So in terms of volunteering and becoming a
(19:24):
wish granting volunteer, we are always looking for people who
are bilingual, people of diverse backgrounds, so that it's we
really represent the families that we serve.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
So you mentioned the number about four hundred and fifty wishes.
It's such an extraordinary number. And then of course we
talked about your fundraising and trying to break some knee
caps out there to get some money and all the
other things that you and your team do. I'm curious
about follow up and I'm always about this about you know,
how was how was the wish? How did it go?
I don't know if you can do them all, you
and your team, But do you get a chance to
(20:00):
all over with the families to see how things went
and then follow up on how the child is doing?
Is that is that a possibility for everyone? Or is
it when you can? How does it all work that way?
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Well?
Speaker 3 (20:09):
For every child who gets a wish, we do send
a survey afterwards. We want to know how we can
do better and we want to know what our you know,
if our families are satisfied with their experience, So we
ask every family to give us that feedback. Nice and
then recently we've launched an alumni network, so we're bringing
families back, bringing them together to really support one another
(20:33):
and to stay connected to their organization, just like you
would your college or diversity or second secondary school. We
want to create that network of people who believe. Now
it's not mandatory that any family participate at all after
their wish, but we have a lot of families who
(20:54):
choose to stay involved as spokespeople, as people who will
go out and share the story, who do their own fundraising,
who serve and volunteer positions. I think it's so beautiful
to say, families who want to pay it back and
pay it forward to others.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
You know, I'm glad you do that. And our audience
knows that I've got RA and I've had it since
I was twenty one. And one of the things that
I relate to people to today as opposed to back
in nineteen eighty seven when I got it, is that
I thought I was the only person on the planet
that had it, and it's very isolating, and that you
have families and alumnis that come together that can be
able to relate, because the human condition needs a couple
(21:32):
of things, any simple acknowledgments, some kindness, but also that
they're not alone. And I love that you do that,
that you bring families together and saying, hey, listen, your
family's going through this really tough time right now, Whether
it's terminal, or whether you know somebody is really sick
in the family and a child and that you're not
alone and we're going through something similar and we can
(21:53):
share those experienced people. I'm so glad. I'm so happy
that you guys do that.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
Well, it takes a community, and I myself am a
wish parent. My son received a wish almost seven years
ago as he was finalizing his battle with leukemia.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
He was diagnosed when he was eleven and he is
now twenty. But for me to know that there was this.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
In invisible group of people out there who just wished
us well, yeah, and we're giving us that hope to
carry on. It's again, it goes back to this power
of positivity and positive thinking. It's really life changing to
have that kind of support system, whether you know the
(22:39):
person or not.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Agreed. Agreed, let's talk about events. I know there's a
golf tournament coming up, and then you've got there's a
gall that that's happening in February. But I know there's
other things going on. But as people will take a
look at the website and we'll give the website one
more time and a lot of our very smart, bright
listeners have already googled you and hopefully they're going to
make a donation today or sometime this week. But with
that said, you've got the golf tournament. Let's talk a
(23:01):
little bit about that, how people can be a part
of it, where it is tickets and being a part
of the event, and maybe any other upcoming events that
you have that we can get excited about as we
kind of head into the summertime.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Right, Well, we actually have two golf tournaments every year.
The first the next will be in Northern Virginia at
River Bend Country Club in June. And what I really
love about this event is that all of the proceeds
from the Golf Classic will go to support the wishes
of our military hero families, so children whose families currently
(23:35):
serve in the military or veterans through a special program
we have called Operation dream Maker. Then in October, we
will have our Golf Classic in Baltimore, and again all
of the proceeds from that tournament stay in the Baltimore
region because we know people want to support kids in
their own hometown or have certain passions that they care about,
(23:58):
like veterans and arry causes. So we want to make
sure that to the greatest extent possible, we're matching the
interests of the donor to the needs of our families.
And the Baltimore Golf Classic is always held at Baltimore
Country Club, one of the top one hundred golf courses
in the country. That our other two signature events, like
(24:19):
you mentioned, are our annual wish Ball, which takes place
at the end of February in Washington, d C. And
then every spring we have a women's networking lunch which
is just a great, great time about three hundred and
fifty women, although we do allow men to come who
come together and shop and donate and share stories and network, network, Network,
(24:44):
and all of these events can again be found at
our website.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
So I know that you're always thinking about the future,
and you talked about getting better with the surveys and
all that. What's the future look like for make a Wish?
Is there something that you want to do that's new
and different? And I know that you're already super sustainable
what you do, but is there something that you're looking
forward to in the future that you'd like to raise
the bar and make a Wish?
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Well, our vision is really simple and it's to grant
the wish of every eligible child at the time it
can have the greatest impact. Right now, because of financial constraints,
we know it is taking us longer to grant wishes
than we would like. In certain cases, from the time
of referral to a time of wish is granted can
(25:28):
last up to eighteen months, especially if it's a very
high cost wish. So our goal is to raise more
money to make sure we're getting these wishes done as
quickly as possible, as we just said earlier, right, so,
if a child needs their wish to happen before a
major medical procedure or anything like that, there's no weight
(25:51):
because of finances. We also know that there are probably
more children out there that don't know they're eligible for
a while, So spreading the word about what qualifies and
building those partnerships with hospitals to make sure that we're
not missing anybody.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
We want every child.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
I want every child to have the same experience that
my son did, because I know that the wish was
something that motivated him and gave him the determination to
stick with his treatments and to take his medicine and
walk his thousand steps a day. And I firmly believe
that that wish is one of the reasons why he's
(26:33):
still here today with us.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
If you don't mind me asking how's he doing and
what was his wish unless it was a personal thing.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Yeah, No, he's doing really well.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
He's twenty, he's going to community college, and in the
fifth grade he was very, very into science and national
geographic He still is, but at the age of eleven,
his wish was to go to the Maldives to see
the bi illuminescent Sea and stay in a hut over
(27:03):
the water before climate change wiped away the islands.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Right, So, as I said, that's huge, it is all
about By the way, that's very specific.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Very for a fifth grader exactly how was the trip?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Was it everything they thought it was gonna be?
Speaker 2 (27:22):
It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Everyone should go that's wonderful. Well, listen, let's do this.
We only have a couple of minutes left, and I'd
like you to kind of recap what we've talked about
for our listeners and once can maybe kind of recap
the golf tournaments are coming up. Let's give the website
how to donate and volunteer. Leslie, the floor is yours.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Okay, thanks Tennis, and I just I want to reiterate, right,
we are a locally embedded organization here in Maryland, d
C in Northern Virginia or granting the worship every eligible
child in that region, and we need local support to
make that happen.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
And there are so many ways in which people can
get involved.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
We hope you'll check us out learn how you can
support children in your own communities.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
And the best way to do that is to.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Start with our website www dot mid Atlantic dot wish
dot org.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
And let's give those dates on the golf tournaments coming
up again to remind people.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Yes, June seventh at Riverbend in Northern Virginia and then
Columbus Stay in October at the Baltimore Country Club.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Well, I'm stoked that we had you on, and let's
have you on again in the late fall, because I
want to pump up your gala. It's coming up in February,
so we'll talk about that. By the way, what happens
with the gala, because I know people get food and
there's live auctions, but what's the gala like for you?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Well, agala has a fantastic auction, so there are all
sorts of trips and special experiences, lots of once in
a lifetime experiences. There are local sports teams donate that
you can bid on. But the real heart of the
gala is hearing the wish stories and meeting children who
have had wishes and parents who have wishes and hearing
(29:01):
firsthand how those wishes have impacted their lives.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
That's really the beauty of.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
It is to be in a room with people who
have received a wish and to really understand and learn
about it.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Well, we're both parents and it's affected you personally, and
now you're running the organization as president and CEO. Thank
you for all you and your team do, and of
course all your partners and volunteers and people that donate,
and let's have you back on again. But we really
appreciate you Leslie joining us on Community DC. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Thank you.
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Good morning, and welcome to another edition of Community d C.
I'm your host, Dennis Glasgow. This morning, we get a
chance to talk about a nonprofit you probably have heard
of many times before, but maybe though you knew what
they did, but it's so much more, and that's Make
a Wish and our guest the mid Atlantic president and
CEO for Make a Wish, Leslie Creeden. Over the next
thirty minutes, we'll talk extensively about what Leslie and her
(00:24):
team do to create hundreds of wishes every year, upcoming events,
and how you can help. Here's my conversation with Leslie.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Good morning, Leslie, Good morning Dennis.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Well, it is a pleasure to talk to you. Welcome
to Community DC. This is the first time that you're
on the program. I've been doing this for almost four
years and my bad for not having you on before.
But we have a connection. And he said, listen, you
need to get Leslie and Make a Wish on the show.
And I'm so happy that we have the introduction we're
able to get you on and I want to talk
for the next thirty minutes about all that you and
(00:55):
your team do at Make a Wish. Obviously, being around
on the planet for a couple of years, I know
what Make a Wish is, but as I was researching,
I was really impressed by all that you do. But
I'd like to give an education to our listeners because
I think everybody's probably heard of Make a Wish and
your foundation, but let's give an overview about what you do,
just to educate our listeners what does Make a Wish
(01:15):
actually do well.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
First, let me start by saying thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I love telling the Make a Wish story because, like
you said, we have second only to Saint Jude's the
highest recognition name recognition of all nonprofits in the United States,
and are consistently ranked as number one or number two
of the most trusted charities. But people really do not
(01:42):
understand the scope and depth and breadth of what we
do and also how we operate. What we do is,
you know, in a nutshell, it's pretty simple. It's that
we come into a child's life when they're battling a
critical illness and we grant them they're one through.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
It's that simple.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
But everything behind it are things that people don't really realize. So,
you know, The majority of Americans still think that we
are the last wish organization and that we only grant
wishes to children who are terminal, and in fact, that
is just not true. About seventy five percent of the
(02:26):
kids who receive a wish are living through and beyond
their initial diagnosis and often credit the wish as something
that gives them the determination and strength to battle on.
People don't realize that we are a local organization, that
we are embedded in local communities and granting wishes to
(02:48):
their neighbors and to their children's friends, their coworkers' children.
Here in the mid Atlantic, we actually receive around four
hundred and fifty qualified referrals every year, and every single
one of those children who have an eligible referral get
(03:09):
their wish.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Nobody is turned away.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
That's really extraordinary.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
You know.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
The one thing that when I get to read or
hear about make a Wish in the news, it seems
like celebrities, musicians, sports teams, private donors, everybody kind of
steps up for that special experience. And I just want
to say, and I'll probably say this a couple of times,
that there must not be something more gratifying that you
(03:33):
and your team do along with your partners to grant
these wishes. And I'm glad you clarified that it's not
a final wish because I didn't know that information, and
I think that's good context to have to this. And
I can see why when you bring something special into
a child who's sick and their life and that family too,
when they're going through a very difficult time. And I've
(03:55):
got a twenty two year old daughter that, knock on wood,
has been pretty healthy. So I'm always in awe of
Saint Jude and also nonprofits like yours, Leslie and make
a Wish that you're doing these extraordinary things that normally
wouldn't happen in somebody's life. So I imagine just when you
see it develop every day and you execute the wish,
it's it's got to be extraordinary for you and your
team and the partner that you're working with that day.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
It's it's a real it's an honor and an immense
responsibility that my team and I and all of our
volunteers have to make these magical moments come true for children.
But you're right, I think people, you know, we talk
about the power of positive thinking, and that's.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Really what a wish provides.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
There is a large body actually of empirical research that
talks about how a wish provides trauma relief not just
to the child but to their entire family, and that
it really provides emotional, mental, and even physical well being
long past the wish itself.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I'd love to hear about the process, about how it
all works, and we'll talk about that, but I think
it's really important to get this out of the way,
and we'll talk about donations near the end, because you
can do that folks on the website in many different levels.
But how are you funded?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
We are funded one hundred percent by philanthropy. We rely
on individual donations, corporate partnerships, foundation grants, and revenue from
special events that we host or others host for us.
And again that is all local philanthropy. So as the
Make a Wish mid Atlantic what we call ourselves a
(05:34):
chapter of the Make a Wish America Foundation. All of
the children that we serve are in Northern Virginia, d
C in Maryland. We're responsible for their wishes and ninety
nine percent of our money comes from local supporters.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Love that.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
It's it's great that you know celebrities and sports teams
and amusement parks, well, they'll don't their services in kind
or at a discounted rate. We still have to have
cash to pay for those wishes, right, even a fantastic
trip to the Orlando theme parks, we still pay for
airfare and food and lodging. And it's not just the
(06:17):
child that participates in the wish, but it's their entire
family living in the household, because this is really about
creating family memories and giving a respite to the entire
unit that is surrounding that child.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
And I don't want to make any assumptions depending on
the wish, but I imagine it's just taking a breath and
a break from the brutalness that's going on at that
moment with a child that's either terminally ill or ill
at the moment, and just taking a break to have
some fun that they usually don't get to do. I mean,
that's probably the big thing here, right.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
That is definitely part of it.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
For other families, it's a celebration at the end of treatment.
We work very closely with the parents and the child's
medical team to make sure we're granting the wish when
it can have the greatest impact on that child's wellbeing.
So it's not unusual for us to grant a wish
right before a child has an upcoming procedure or something
(07:20):
that's very serious in their treatment journey, because we want
them to go in that with positivity, with resilience, with strength,
and a wish can provide that. You hear countless stories
from doctors and parents about how a child comes back
from a wish a completely different person, with a completely
(07:40):
different outlook, and that wish has really provides something that
medicine can't.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Yeah, and you're talking about the psychology of just the
human spirit. And I don't know if there's an empirical
date about this, but it makes sense before something big
and huges coming up that might be scary or daunting
and all that, and you're trying to put everybody to
eat with enjoying themselves, having some fellowship and some fun.
Once again, as I was talking about that daily grind
(08:06):
that you know, any parent like myself that doesn't know
what some of these parents and these families are going through,
just giving them a little bit of a break before
something big happens.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
It's scary, That's exactly right, Yeah, you nailed it well.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I want to talk about criteria because you talked about
the number of four hundred and fifty and I don't
want to make any assumptions about criteria. So if somebody
would like to reach out to you to have a
possible wish considered, how does the whole process work?
Speaker 3 (08:33):
So any family member or doctor or nurse can go
to our website and.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Refer a child.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
But the very very best thing to do, because we
don't want to disappoint anybody, is to first talk with
your child's doctor or social worker. We have partnerships with
all of the major pediatric specialists and hospitals in our region,
Children's National, John's, Bupkins I know, but Children's Hospital Georgetown Kaiser,
(09:05):
and we have built relationships with them so that those doctors,
social workers, child life specialists know when a child gets
a diagnosis that makes them eligible for a wish and
knows how to complete the paperwork and refer them. So
the very best thing is to start with your child's
medical team. But it is more than just as I said,
(09:28):
terminal illnesses. We grant wishes to children who are suffering
from pediatric cancers, in blood disorders, certain neurological diseases, in
cardiac diseases, solid organ transplants, sickle cell There are about
thirty two different diagnoses that will make a child eligible
(09:51):
to get one of our life transforming experiences.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
So when somebody has a grish wayn granted and they
get to do something, is there a shock prone to
make sure everything goes well? How does it all monitor
to make sure it's all executed with the partner that
you're doing the wish with.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Well, that's a really good question.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Are Our mission delivery team here in the mid Atlantic
has been granting wishes since nineteen eighty three. We've granted
over eleven thousand, five hundred wishes here locally.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
And the best part about.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Make a Wish being a nationwide and even international organization
is wherever we're sending a child, there is somebody local
on the staff of Make a Wish that is there
to make sure the wish goes well. Our staff is
on call twenty four to seven. If there is a
flight that is delayed, the family can just pick up
the phone and call it that.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
We don't chaperone the wishes.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
We want it to be a family sure experience, but
We're always there to make sure it's the best possible
experience and that there are no bumps in the road.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
So Leslie, I imagine since nineteen eighty three, there is
just a long database of all the wishes and I'm
sure some of you have blown you away, and I'd
like you to share in just a little bit because
we have a lot of time to talk. We still
have twenty minutes to chat about some really cool stories
out there, and I'm sure there are hundreds of not thousands,
of amazing wishes out there. But when it comes to that,
is your team coming up with new ideas that are
(11:15):
cool or do you go and work with that organization
because they know what they're doing to make a wish
come true. How does it all come together about figuring
out what wish the child or the family would like
and then executing it. How does that work?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Well, it's it's not about us.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
It is one hundred percent about the child, and it's
not even really what the parents want. We try our
darness to make sure mom and dad aren't getting a
wish that they want, but it's really something that the
child wants because when you think about it, in addition
to the power of positivity. When a child is going
through you know, a pediatric cancer for example, radiation, chemotherapy,
(11:58):
spinal taps, every thing is being done to them. They
have no control or power over anything that is happening
to them except when it comes to the wish. So
we have around three hundred and fifty volunteers all around
the region that once a child is deemed eligible and
the doctors have signed the paperwork, we send volunteers out
(12:21):
to meet with these kids and they play games with them,
They help them imagine.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
All of the different wishes.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
They really get to know the child and what's going
to bring them joy and happiness, and then we create
a wish that is uniquely tailored to that child.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
But it is all about what they want.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
And you know, maybe this is a good time to
also mention, you know, there are five big categories of wishes.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Some people just you know.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
Can't get you. Please, please go ahead. What's a wish?
Speaker 3 (12:53):
Yeah, So we have our kids dream in five big
air big categories. The first is to go, so to
go anywhere, right, Disney Hawaii, skiing, you name it, Disney cruises, basically,
any travel wish that you could imagine, they could meet
(13:13):
somebody like you said earlier, the John Cenas, the pop stars,
the YouTubers and influencers, to be I want to be
a princess, I want to be a mermaid. That's when
our team gets really creative and works with party planners
and you name it to kind of create these fanciful
(13:35):
superhero experiences where a child is living out their dream.
Then to have is probably our broadest category, basically any
kind of physical item that we can give to you,
and that ranges from computers and gaming systems to puppies
and horses, backyard play sets, campers so you and your
(13:59):
family can travel safely, even college tuition. We recently granted
a wish to a young girl who wanted to have
lunch with R two D two, so we got her
George Lucas certified R two D two robot from Germany
that she now has forever and she can have lunch
(14:20):
and dinner and whatever she wants to do with that.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
With R two D two.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
And then finally, the fifth category is to give, and
that's when children give their wish to others, truly truly
selfless desires for us to make a donation to their
charity of choice to give it paid forward to a
food bank, to their hospital, have a nice dinner for
(14:48):
their family and friends.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
Those are the.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Wishes I think that are truly inspiring to me is
to see a child say I want it for somebody else.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
I think it's a good time to talk about volunteering
in and donations because I know that's important. So there's
a lot of little levels to that. So first of all,
volunteering and then donations, we'll talk about how do you
volunteer for your organization?
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Well, the best thing to do is go to our
website www dot mid Atlantic dot Wish dot org and
you'll can see about the five or six different categories
we have to volunteer. As I mentioned, we rely on
volunteers to be our arms and legs in the community
and our connections with the families.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
We are always looking for people who.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
Are compassionate individuals who want to really get to know
and work closely with these these children, and they form
incredible bonds with them. It's it's a very special, special experience,
and I think our volunteers get as much, if not
more out of it than the Wish children themselves, I bet.
(15:58):
And then there are other oportunities to serve on host
committees for fundraising events, to serve on different leadership councils
that are trying to raise awareness of our organization in
different regions of the mid Atlantic. And then of course
we have people who volunteer to fundraise for us. You know,
(16:19):
you have your church do an event, have your restaurant
do a customer engagement campaign, have your employees give back,
so all sorts of ways that you, on your own,
but with support from US, can contribute financially to make
a wish come true and actually meet that child and
(16:40):
really kind of a sponsor a wish itself.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
And to that point, I think we should remind everybody
besides just going on the website and making one time
or making regular monthly donations or an annual I know
that it's really important that you partner up and not
just with sports teams and athletes and everybody else, but
there are small, medium, and large businesses I imagine can
also be partnered with you. Somebody that's listening to this
interview today that owns one of those businesses and maybe
(17:04):
wants to partner with you. How do they do that?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Again?
Speaker 3 (17:08):
You can go to our website and there is a
link to express interest in becoming a corporate partner, and
you're right. For every dollar we raise, we rely on
an additional fifty cents of in kind donations to help
us reach the number of wishes we want to grant
every year. So construction companies who want to come out
(17:31):
and help us build a tree house or help us
with a room renovation very important. Individuals who have excess
airline miles. Travel is our biggest expense every year. If
people can donate their airline miles, we can use those
and cash those in to send children on wishes to
go certain places. So small businesses who can help by
(17:55):
having customer engagement campaigns, and we even just recently had
one who've supported and ran his own cornhole tournament and
raised over twenty five thousand dollars. So it's whatever you
want to do to leverage your networks and your unique talents,
we can work with you to help grant wishes.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
As you know, on this series, we talk to nothing
but nonprofits that are in the DMV, whether they're a
national or local to the area here. And I don't
do it justice by trying to explain to our listeners
how hard it is to fundraise when you're a nonprofit,
and I know that's a lot of your job. So
with that said, when it comes to it, I know
that you know there's it's not always unicorns and rainbows,
(18:36):
and you're doing so many special things out there. But
if there are certain challenges right now beside actual fundraising,
because I think that's the number one thing for nonprofit
of just raising money all the time you talked about
the airplane travel, are there other challenges in the industry
right now for you and your team?
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Well, you know, I think given the economy that we're
all in here and the uncertainty around it, by far,
fundraising is a big concern right now.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Say inflation, right the cost of a wish is.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
Going up, and so again that ripples out into the
need to raise more money. And also we want to
make sure that our children see themselves in the wishes
that are being granted and in the people that they're
interacting with. So in terms of volunteering and becoming a
(19:24):
wish granting volunteer, we are always looking for people who
are bilingual, people of diverse backgrounds, so that it's we
really represent the families that we serve.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
So you mentioned the number about four hundred and fifty wishes.
It's such an extraordinary number. And then of course we
talked about your fundraising and trying to break some knee
caps out there to get some money and all the
other things that you and your team do. I'm curious
about follow up and I'm always about this about you know,
how was how was the wish? How did it go?
I don't know if you can do them all, you
and your team, But do you get a chance to
(20:00):
all over with the families to see how things went
and then follow up on how the child is doing?
Is that is that a possibility for everyone? Or is
it when you can? How does it all work that way?
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Well?
Speaker 3 (20:09):
For every child who gets a wish, we do send
a survey afterwards. We want to know how we can
do better and we want to know what our you know,
if our families are satisfied with their experience, So we
ask every family to give us that feedback. Nice and
then recently we've launched an alumni network, so we're bringing
families back, bringing them together to really support one another
(20:33):
and to stay connected to their organization, just like you
would your college or diversity or second secondary school. We
want to create that network of people who believe. Now
it's not mandatory that any family participate at all after
their wish, but we have a lot of families who
(20:54):
choose to stay involved as spokespeople, as people who will
go out and share the story, who do their own fundraising,
who serve and volunteer positions. I think it's so beautiful
to say, families who want to pay it back and
pay it forward to others.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
You know, I'm glad you do that. And our audience
knows that I've got RA and I've had it since
I was twenty one. And one of the things that
I relate to people to today as opposed to back
in nineteen eighty seven when I got it, is that
I thought I was the only person on the planet
that had it, and it's very isolating, and that you
have families and alumnis that come together that can be
able to relate, because the human condition needs a couple
(21:32):
of things, any simple acknowledgments, some kindness, but also that
they're not alone. And I love that you do that,
that you bring families together and saying, hey, listen, your
family's going through this really tough time right now, Whether
it's terminal, or whether you know somebody is really sick
in the family and a child and that you're not
alone and we're going through something similar and we can
(21:53):
share those experienced people. I'm so glad. I'm so happy
that you guys do that.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
Well, it takes a community, and I myself am a
wish parent. My son received a wish almost seven years
ago as he was finalizing his battle with leukemia.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
He was diagnosed when he was eleven and he is
now twenty. But for me to know that there was this.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
In invisible group of people out there who just wished
us well, yeah, and we're giving us that hope to
carry on. It's again, it goes back to this power
of positivity and positive thinking. It's really life changing to
have that kind of support system, whether you know the
(22:39):
person or not.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Agreed. Agreed, let's talk about events. I know there's a
golf tournament coming up, and then you've got there's a
gall that that's happening in February. But I know there's
other things going on. But as people will take a
look at the website and we'll give the website one
more time and a lot of our very smart, bright
listeners have already googled you and hopefully they're going to
make a donation today or sometime this week. But with
that said, you've got the golf tournament. Let's talk a
(23:01):
little bit about that, how people can be a part
of it, where it is tickets and being a part
of the event, and maybe any other upcoming events that
you have that we can get excited about as we
kind of head into the summertime.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Right, Well, we actually have two golf tournaments every year.
The first the next will be in Northern Virginia at
River Bend Country Club in June. And what I really
love about this event is that all of the proceeds
from the Golf Classic will go to support the wishes
of our military hero families, so children whose families currently
(23:35):
serve in the military or veterans through a special program
we have called Operation dream Maker. Then in October, we
will have our Golf Classic in Baltimore, and again all
of the proceeds from that tournament stay in the Baltimore
region because we know people want to support kids in
their own hometown or have certain passions that they care about,
(23:58):
like veterans and arry causes. So we want to make
sure that to the greatest extent possible, we're matching the
interests of the donor to the needs of our families.
And the Baltimore Golf Classic is always held at Baltimore
Country Club, one of the top one hundred golf courses
in the country. That our other two signature events, like
(24:19):
you mentioned, are our annual wish Ball, which takes place
at the end of February in Washington, d C. And
then every spring we have a women's networking lunch which
is just a great, great time about three hundred and
fifty women, although we do allow men to come who
come together and shop and donate and share stories and network, network, Network,
(24:44):
and all of these events can again be found at
our website.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
So I know that you're always thinking about the future,
and you talked about getting better with the surveys and
all that. What's the future look like for make a Wish?
Is there something that you want to do that's new
and different? And I know that you're already super sustainable
what you do, but is there something that you're looking
forward to in the future that you'd like to raise
the bar and make a Wish?
Speaker 3 (25:08):
Well, our vision is really simple and it's to grant
the wish of every eligible child at the time it
can have the greatest impact. Right now, because of financial constraints,
we know it is taking us longer to grant wishes
than we would like. In certain cases, from the time
of referral to a time of wish is granted can
(25:28):
last up to eighteen months, especially if it's a very
high cost wish. So our goal is to raise more
money to make sure we're getting these wishes done as
quickly as possible, as we just said earlier, right, so,
if a child needs their wish to happen before a
major medical procedure or anything like that, there's no weight
(25:51):
because of finances. We also know that there are probably
more children out there that don't know they're eligible for
a while, So spreading the word about what qualifies and
building those partnerships with hospitals to make sure that we're
not missing anybody.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
We want every child.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
I want every child to have the same experience that
my son did, because I know that the wish was
something that motivated him and gave him the determination to
stick with his treatments and to take his medicine and
walk his thousand steps a day. And I firmly believe
that that wish is one of the reasons why he's
(26:33):
still here today with us.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
If you don't mind me asking how's he doing and
what was his wish unless it was a personal thing.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
Yeah, No, he's doing really well.
Speaker 3 (26:43):
He's twenty, he's going to community college, and in the
fifth grade he was very, very into science and national
geographic He still is, but at the age of eleven,
his wish was to go to the Maldives to see
the bi illuminescent Sea and stay in a hut over
(27:03):
the water before climate change wiped away the islands.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Right, So, as I said, that's huge, it is all
about By the way, that's very specific.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Very for a fifth grader exactly how was the trip?
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Was it everything they thought it was gonna be?
Speaker 2 (27:22):
It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Everyone should go that's wonderful. Well, listen, let's do this.
We only have a couple of minutes left, and I'd
like you to kind of recap what we've talked about
for our listeners and once can maybe kind of recap
the golf tournaments are coming up. Let's give the website
how to donate and volunteer. Leslie, the floor is yours.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Okay, thanks Tennis, and I just I want to reiterate, right,
we are a locally embedded organization here in Maryland, d
C in Northern Virginia or granting the worship every eligible
child in that region, and we need local support to
make that happen.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
And there are so many ways in which people can
get involved.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
We hope you'll check us out learn how you can
support children in your own communities.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
And the best way to do that is to.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Start with our website www dot mid Atlantic dot wish
dot org.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
And let's give those dates on the golf tournaments coming
up again to remind people.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Yes, June seventh at Riverbend in Northern Virginia and then
Columbus Stay in October at the Baltimore Country Club.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Well, I'm stoked that we had you on, and let's
have you on again in the late fall, because I
want to pump up your gala. It's coming up in February,
so we'll talk about that. By the way, what happens
with the gala, because I know people get food and
there's live auctions, but what's the gala like for you?
Speaker 3 (28:39):
Well, agala has a fantastic auction, so there are all
sorts of trips and special experiences, lots of once in
a lifetime experiences. There are local sports teams donate that
you can bid on. But the real heart of the
gala is hearing the wish stories and meeting children who
have had wishes and parents who have wishes and hearing
(29:01):
firsthand how those wishes have impacted their lives.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
That's really the beauty of.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
It is to be in a room with people who
have received a wish and to really understand and learn
about it.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Well, we're both parents and it's affected you personally, and
now you're running the organization as president and CEO. Thank
you for all you and your team do, and of
course all your partners and volunteers and people that donate,
and let's have you back on again. But we really
appreciate you Leslie joining us on Community DC. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (29:31):
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(29:53):
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