FAQ
Who is eligible?
A Child’s Wish focuses on serving Louisiana children suffering from a life-threatening illness. The child must be between the ages of 2 - 18 years when the wish is approved. Generally, the child must not have had a wish granted already by another organization and they must be a resident of the State of Louisiana.
What is the Process to Refer A Child?
Our Wish Candidate Application.
Our Process
Once we are notified of a wish candidate, the official Wish Candidate Application is shared by the Wish Chairperson to be completed by the physician and the parents of the Wish child. If a social worker is not involved, the paperwork is sent directly to the family.
Medical approval
Once the completed paperwork is received, the Wish Chairperson discusses each child's disease and condition with one of our advising physicians that serves on our Honorary Board. Depending on the level of information received from the Hospital at the time of the referral, our doctors may request additional information from the medical records. The family is asked to sign a release form providing our doctor access to the medical records.
Our doctors make a recommendation as to whether the disease and condition of the child are such that, in their medical opinion, the child has an illness that is life threatening. If our doctor approves the wish from a medical standpoint, the wish-granting process begins.
Once a wish is medically approved, the Wish Chairperson will assign a member or members to serve as "Wish Coordinators" who are primarily responsible for meeting with the child and their families and making the wish
come true.
Funding of Wishes
Our wishes are funded through the generosity of this community via donations from individuals, businesses and organizations; through fundraisers hosted by other organizations to benefit A Child's Wish; and sometimes through grants from charitable foundations. A Child's Wish receives no government funds and is not a United Way agency.
What Can A Child Wish For?
A child’s wish request is only limited by the size of their dreams and imagination. However the child’s health condition often dictates the limits of what they can and cannot physically do. Our organization carefully reviews each wish request with family and physicians to determine if each child’s wish can be safely carried out.
Most wishes fall into one of the following categories:
Go somewhere special – Disneyworld always tops the list. However, children often wish to go to a special beach, theme park, cruise, concert or sporting event like a New Orleans Saints or Pelicans Game.
Get something special – Big screen televisions, computers and electronic games are the most popular. Terminally-ill children often have physical restrictions and so getting a new computer or video game system is a real dream come true for them. And since their medical conditions often put financial pressure on their families having their own “shopping spree” can be a wonderful gift.
Meet someone special –Louisiana children love to meet our local sports heroes! The New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans have been tremendous supporters of A Child’s Wish and have donated a tremendous amount of merchandise and gifts for local children. Children often request to visit the Saints practice facility or meet a special player.
