Make-A-Wish® Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia

Chapter Information and Stats

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia chapter has grown steadily with the help of caring people who volunteer their time and support. Thirteen wishes were fulfilled in the first year; now, 26 years later, more than 11,000 wishes have been completed. At any given time, there are between 450 and 500 wishes pending. This last year, we granted 705 wishes. 

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia was once four chapters that now operate jointly. It includes 57 counties in western, central and northeastern Pennsylvania and 23 counties in southern West Virginia. The chapter is headquartered in Pittsburgh and has six regional offices in Charleston, WV, Erie, PA, Pottsville, PA, Punxsutawney, PA, Scranton, PA, and York, PA. The President and CEO is Judith Stone.

For two years in a row, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia received a coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator. The 4-star rating reflects efficient management and growth for the Foundation. Less than 1/4 of all charities evaluated have received this highest rating. Charity Navigator works to provide donors with essential information they need to provide greater confidence in the charitable choices they make. To link to our page on Charity Navigator, please click here.

The most popular wish is for a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida; 50% of the wish children ask to "meet Mickey Mouse." Other popular wishes include play sets, home entertainment centers, computers, celebrity meetings and trips to Hawaii and other sites around the country.

Most Requested Wishes By Percentage

50% Disney Resorts 30% Gifts/Shopping Sprees 14% Other Travel 5% Celebrity Meetings 1% "I Want To Be . . ."

The Make-A-Wish Foundation encourages the entire family to be part of the wish experience, knowing that parents and siblings need magic just as much as the wish child.

The average cost of a wish is $3,400. This is based on the cost of a trip to the Walt Disney World^® resort for a family of four for seven days and six nights.

Most of our funding comes from individuals. Other funding sources include corporations, foundations, community organizations, schools and churches.

Funding Sources

50% Individuals 31% Corporations/Foundations/Trusts 10% Schools/Universities 9% Community Organizations/Churches

More than 85% of all money raised is used to grant wishes. The chapter has an endowment that it hopes one day can pay for all administration and fund raising costs.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is proud of the way it manages the generous contributions it receives from individuals, foundations, corporations, and organizations. 85.1% of all donations fund wish granting activities. This percentage well exceeds the standard upheld by organizations monitoring the work of charities. To view the Foundation's most recent audited financial statement, in PDF format, please click here. To view the Foundation's most recently available IRS Form 990, please go to http://www.guidestar.org/

Allocations of Expenses/Costs (Fiscal)

85.1% Program Services 10.1% Fund Raising 4.8% Administration

The Make-A-Wish Foundation does not engage in any telemarketing in order to raise funds. If you are called by someone purporting to be from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, please call us at 1-800-676-WISH (9474).

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is in no way connected to an unauthorized chain letter encouraging people to send business cards to an Atlanta address on behalf of Craig Shergold, a seriously-ill boy or for emails regarding Amy Bruce and a ten cent donation to the Foundation. Both of these are considered hoaxes. If you receive such a chain letter, please call the sender and discourage their participation. For further information on the Craig Shergold or Amy Bruce urban legend, please call 1-800-215-1333, ext. 184 or visit http://www.wish.org/about/chain_letters.