Make A Wish ???? Any ideas???? (long)

[disneyfreak74]

Sorry if this is not the right place, please move for me. Thanks

To give the story in a nutshell:

My cousin's little boy (8 yrs old) (guess that makes him my 2nd cousin) was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma (same thing that my lil sis(14) was diagnosed with at 2) in October of last year. The Make a Wish people have told her that he will be granted a wish. He has surgery and now is doing chemo. They are trying NOT to do radiation because the mass was so close to his heart.

him at his 8th birthday party​

They (in my opinion) do not have a great deal of money. She cannot work (because of the chemo schedule) so it is a 1 income house for a family of 5.

Donovan wants to go to DISNEY!!!! Always has!!! BEgs to go on every trip I take!!! This will be probably their only trip unless financial things change ALOT!!!

My question/delima: They have come to me (because they think I know EVERYTHING there is to know) to help them plan. They were told that they have to be EXACT about what all he wants!!!!

They do not want to stay at an expensive hotel because they want to have the option of inviting some others to celebrate (he has a 12 and 15 year old aunt).
They want the dining plan.
I know park hoppers.
They are planning to go the first weekend of Oct. When does MNSSHP start? is that an option?

She told me that she wants it to be very special for him and his brothers (10 and 5). She would rather have extras rather then say a deluxe room. SHe is a penny pincher EVEN when it's not her money). My family is planning on going at the same time (my expense), but she would like for us to be included in any special things they do.

He wants to ride in a limo. We live 5 hrs away and they are not going to fly so is it possible one morning for him to have a limo ride to the park?

Could they try and let hem be the grand marshall's in a parade??

I am trying to think of some things that are not obvious. I know what tickets they need, the dining plan, etc. I am looking for some info as to what special Disney Magic for them to request.

Anyone that has been with Make a Wish, do you know how they do it? Do they make all your plans or do they give you the money to make it happen?
When we went for my sister (11 years ago) They made hotel arrangements and tickets and then gave spending money. How many people do they let you invite?

Any input that anyone can give will be great!!! I want this to be a wonderful trip for them.

 

[Vickie46]

I have heard some of the characters people say... oh Alice in the
Wonderland is doing the Make a Wish program.. with a very special guest.. it seems maybe they have a special area or something.. I think the child even gets to pick the character.. but it has been awhile since I heard this.. things could have changed.. I would try to contact dinsey and see what they say.

I am so happy he will get to go to Disney!

 

[michelle9343]

I would go over to the DISablilty boards there are a lot of past post about MAW (make-a-wish) trips. MAW takes care of everything. Most families stay at Give kids the World. It is located off poperty on 192 ( very close by) . They will get tickets to all of the parks and I know that food is served at GKTW. Anyway look over on the Disability board everyone over there is really helpfull and would answer any questions

 

[mla973]

disneyfreak74 - I am a Make-A-Wish volunteer in Michigan. Please feel free to send me a PM or email me if you have other questions. I'll respond based on our practices in Michigan, knowing that they could be slightly different where they are.

In Michigan, the Disney World trips are planned mostly the same way each time. They are 6 night/7 day trips that include passes to WDW for 3 days (I believe) as well as passes to Universal and Sea World. Also, 99.9% of the families stay at Give Kids the World, a vacation village in Kissimmee just for this purpose. (You can visit Give Kids The World for more info.) I have been to the Village (actually volunteered there when I worked for WDW). Most families LOVE it. They are treated like royalty (very simliar to Disney resort service).

Typically MAW wants the child to be as specific as possible about the wish. They are very careful to only provide for what the child wishes for (not necessarily something that the parents or siblings want). What they will want the family to be exact about is why he is wishing for Disney World. For example: If it is because he loves Buzz Lightyear and really wants to meet him in person, then they may try to arrange a special meeting. If it is because he really loves animation and wants to visit the animation tour, they may try to enhance the trip with something like that. They do not guarantee any extras, and I have had many families go to WDW without extras, and they RAVE about it.

I don't want to be a bubble-burster, so I won't get too specific on much else. Not that it won't be a fantastic time for the family, because it will be. Make A Wish has certain arrangements with WDW and Give Kids that allow them to provide these opportunities, so there is not a lot of room for options (again, this could be different where you are).

As far as family guests... Make A Wish provides for the child and all immediate family members under 18 living in the home to go along on a WDW wish. (this means mom, dad, and siblings). In Michigan, MAW will not pay for additional family members to go along (aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.). Those people must travel at their own expense, and they cannot stay at Give Kids.

Regarding the travel dates, if they have not yet met with a Wish coordinator, then they will have to decide on a few choices of travel dates. Currently in Michigan, we are not scheduling any more travel wishes prior to September of this year (just because there are so many kids and their budget won't allow it). Please let them know that they may or may not be able to travel during their ideal timeframe. MAW will do what they can to meet it, but they do have a limited number of wishes they can grant each month.

The wish granting volunteers that meet with the family will go over all of this with them. Please send me a PM or post back here (I will try to check in) if you have other questions.

Undoubtably your family has been through a lot with your cousin's illness, and this trip will certainly be a magical one for them. I have never heard of a family having a bad time.

 

[mla973]

Forgot to add that Wish kids are given a MAW or GKTW button to wear. This typically gives them preferred seating for parades (Especially if they are in a wheelchair). This also allows cast members to spot them and provide extra special attention. This is sometimes how they are able to experience other perks (i.e. being a grand marshall, etc.)

 

[loriandmatt]

about your MNSSHP question - it starts the last week in Sept (usually) and goes thru October.

- lori

 

[joshsmom]

We're a Wish family. We went in 2003 through the MAW foundation and it was a WONDERFUL trip. We stayed at Give Kids the World (GKTW) and it was fabulous. They DO treat you like royalty, as another poster said. Breakfast and dinner are served every day--I don't remember about lunch. I guess we weren't there during the day so I don't know about that. However, the food is included in your stay at GKTW. MAW had a volunteer meet us at the airport with a full-sized car that was ours for the enitre week we were there. We had tickets to WDW, Universal, and Sea World.

The button they give you to wear on your clothes alerts CM's that you are a wish family. Josh got picked to be included in many things, such as the Flights of Wonder show at AK, and other cool things. The characters spent SO much time with him and were so kind. Everywhere we went, he got attention and he loved every minute of it. The whole experience was fabulous.

We had a limo take us to and from the airport. The people on our block were SHOCKED when they saw that bad boy pull up for Prince Josh. It still makes me very emotional. MAW and GKTW are wonderful organizations that will do everything in their power to make it a wonderful trip for the family.

Feel free to PM me if you would like more information.

 

[SueM in MN]

There are a lot of frequent posters to the disABILITIES Board who have been on MAW trips, so that is a good place to start.
I know that the majority of WISH kids do stay at GKTW village (and do visit the website that a previous poster sent to link to - it's great). They have meals all day there, things like pizza you can order and a sundae house (some people have posted they even had sundaes for breakfast).
I have seen some posts from people who stayed at one of the WDW resorts; from what I recall, choosing that meant their stay would be shorter (probably because a lot of the "stuff" at GKTW village are covered by donations and volunteers).

 

[tmfranlk]

I would not discount staying at Give Kids the World. I visited the Villiage in December and it was FABULOUS! The villas look lovely and the whole resort is wonderfully themed. It woul be a great place if there are ever days that your cousin is not up for a full day in the parks. Plus, the Village offers lots of special events as well as parents night out. Your family could always stay onsite while your cousin was at the Village, then meet up at the parks. Sorry that I don't have any other advice, but I just wanted to mention the Village. Even though we were only there for a couple of hours, it was very magical.