Thanks to a $2.8 million gift from The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, Make-A-Wish® Arizona will soon be moving into a new Wish House. The new property will enable the organization to expand its wish granting capacity to eventually reach every eligible child in Arizona.
The grant also provides for the renovation and refurbishment of the new 11,000-square-foot property, located near Thomas and Hayden Road in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Make-A-Wish® Arizona has operated in its current location for more than 20 years. During that period the organization has grown its wish granting capacity from fewer than 125 to 330 wishes per year.
“The need for functional space for our staff, volunteers and the families we serve far exceeds the capacity of our current facility,” said Elizabeth Reich, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Arizona. “Operating within the confines of our current space, we simply cannot grow to serve more children.”
“The new Wish House, so generously made possible by Bob and Renee Parsons, will provide a central location for our wish families and our volunteers, offering a home base of support that will help our chapter reach its vision,” said Derrick Hall, president and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks and current board chair for Make-A-Wish Arizona. “Our Board is excited to work with the many advantages this new home will bring.”
An average of 550 Arizona children are newly diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions every year, making them eligible for a wish. Currently, children are referred to Make-A-Wish Arizona at a rate of approximately 400 per year – 50 more than the chapter is able to grant annually. No eligible wish goes ungranted, however the wait for some may be longer than desired.
“As the founding chapter, we are proud that one Arizona boy’s wish started a movement that now reaches children worldwide,” Reich added. “The new Wish House is a game-changer for our chapter. With the Parsons’ gift, Make-A-Wish Arizona will be able to expand our reach within our community to make more wishes come true.”
Make-A-Wish Arizona relies entirely on donors, both individual and corporate, to support their mission of granting the wishes of Arizona children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Bob and Renee Parsons are active donors with Make-A-Wish Arizona, having pledged more than $6.3 million to the organization over the last two years. Renee Parsons also volunteers her time to the organization as a member of the Board of Directors and as a co-chair for the Wish Ball.
“When a child is diagnosed with a life threatening illness their entire family is sent into a tailspin –challenged in ways most of us can’t imagine,” said Renee Parsons. “The new Wish House will be a beacon of hope for these families, and every wish granted a chance to inspire strength and joy.”
