'Wish' grows in North Idaho
COEUR d'ALENE - Expect to hear more from the Make-A-Wish Foundation in North Idaho.
The nonprofit's Boise-based Idaho chapter expanded its territory in September to include the state's nine northern counties. Along with Make-A-Wish's increased presence in the panhandle comes a new regional development director.
April Needham of Coeur d'Alene has been hired for the newly created job, and lease negotiations for a local office are in the works.
"We decided northern Idaho would be best served by Idaho's chapter," said Torene Bonner, CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho. "We were looking at how we could best serve those kids in those areas."
The national foundation has been granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions since 1983, and now has 65 chapters throughout the U.S.
Make-A-Wish has operated in Idaho for 25 years, but the state's northern counties were previously served by the organization's Washington chapter which covered Alaska and Montana as well as North Idaho.
Needham returned to North Idaho in 2007 with a degree from Boise State University. She is actively involved in the Kootenai County Young Professionals, and sits on the group's board of directors.
"Coeur d'Alene is such a wonderful area, and there are such wonderful people here," Needham said. "I enjoy making our community an even better place to live."
Needham will be Make-A-Wish's name and face in North Idaho as she works to involve the community in their mission, said CEO Bonner, who works in the Boise office.
"Wishes are something for the children to look forward to as they're undergoing treatments, and they become something to share with their families," Bonner said.
Make-A-Wish classifies wishes in four ways: Wish to go, Wish to be, Wish to have, and Wish to meet.
Bonner said the most popular wish is a trip "to go" to a Disney park, but the most creative wishes are the those that are "to be."
One Idaho boy's wish came true when he got to be Superman. His dad, who worked for the military, was Ironman, and his sister was Wordgirl.
"We engaged Lifeflight, so he'd have a flying experience," Bonner said.
The scenario played out on Gowen Field in Boise, where the boy and his family members fought off evil robots who were played by local military personnel.
"The community really does make a difference for us. It becomes a shared experience as they embrace the wish experience," Bonner said.
Right now, there are five North Idaho children whose wishes are being actively worked on by the foundation.
The University of Idaho's fraternities and sororities in Moscow have partnered with Make-A-Wish to bring some joy into the lives of two of them, both boys, one a teenager with a life-threatening heart condition, and the other a 2-year-old with neuroblastoma.
The 14-year-old loves music and shopping at the Zumiez and Hot Topic stores in Moscow's Palouse Empire Mall. Make-A-Wish and U of I's Greek organizations are granting his wish to go on a shopping spree at a mall in Boise.
They are granting the 2-year-old's wish to meet his favorite Disney characters by sending the boy, who lives in Potlatch, on a trip to Disney World in Florida.
Until now, an average of eight wishes have been granted annually to children living in the Idaho panhandle.
With increased attention on the state's northern region, Needham said, "I believe that we'll see more wishes and more events."
Needham is looking forward to putting together the North Idaho program from the ground up.
"This is a very generous community with the potential for them to build an amazing program," she said. "I'm really excited to be part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation here."
For information, until the local office is up and running, contact the Boise office, (208) 345-9474.