Make A Wish Foundation International

The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

How the dream began

The Make-A-Wish Foundation began in the USA in 1980 with the fulfillment of the first wish. A seven-year-old boy with leukemia dreamed of being a policeman. His mother and several friends, with the cooperation of the local police department, granted his wish with a custom-made police uniform, helmet and badge and even a helicopter ride! Chris died just a few days later and the memories of his special wish-come-true were the inspiration of establishing the Foundation.

How wishes are granted

Make-A-Wish Foundation strives to provide the wish child and family with special memories of joy and laughter at a stressful time of their lives. A "wish" offers a respite--a time away from the strains of dealing with a serious illness. It's a family time; the entire family takes part whenever possible, and all wish expenses are fully covered.

Make-A-Wish has never turned away an eligible child. Over a hundred thousand wishes have been completed since 1980.

St Lucian Community Charities

A number of charities will be chosen by the St Lucia Tourist Board to benefit from the event, including the St Lucian Red Cross and the St Lucia Save the Children.

CARE Life Centre

Centre for Adolescent Rehabilitation and Education

With many children in St Lucia leaving formal education before the age of 15 they often find themselves ill-equipped, lacking in basic life skills and unable to cope in the adult world. The programme provided by CARE aims to foster positive attitudes in young people towards themselves, others, work and work related situations through a variety of activities, as well as learning a marketable skill to aid their search for employment.

LuSave

LuSave aims to look after the welfare of children, particularly those suffering from neglect or abuse, and to re-establish the importance of a strong family unit in their upbringing. Among other youth counselling and mentoring schemes, they run a sponsorship programme, which not only enables children to continue and complete their schooling, but also attempts to strengthen relationships within the family unit.