Disney has reached an important milestone of granting 150,000 wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, spoke about the heartwarming partnership between Disney and Make-A-Wish over the last four decades. “We’re so proud of the relationship that we’ve had with Make-A-Wish for almost 40 years now. And it’s a special relationship. These places that we have are places that families come to forget about the world around them and dream and create memories.” Leslie Motter, Make-A-Wish America’s President and CEO, said “As the number one wish granter for our organization, Disney is helping deliver joy when it’s needed most.”
To celebrate the huge milestone, Disney and Make-A-Wish held a royal ball, the Once Upon A Wish Party, which was the biggest wish-giving event in Disney World history. According to the website, “The event featured more than 30 iconic Disney Princesses and characters, a tea party in Wonderland and a royal ball. Wishes often have the power to renew hope and uplift spirits of children facing critical illnesses, and experiences like Once Upon A Wish Party can be transformative for the entire family. Each child attending wished for something related to a Disney Princess and had their wishes come true.” A participant who attended the all shared their experience saying, “It just exceeded my expectations completely. Honestly, all I can say is just thank you from the absolute bottom of my heart. I’m literally so grateful. This would have not happened without Make-A-Wish and Disney.”
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“Granting wishes and making magic is some of the most important work that we do here at Disney – it’s kind of at the core of who we are. Our cast members are so proud to help make all of these wishes come true,” D’Amaro explained. “We’re so humbled that so many kids choose Disney for their wish. We’re Make-A-Wish’s top granter – a lot of kids just want to come here – and we do not take that responsibility lightly.”