“Unfortunately, when the pandemic hit all of our wishes were put on hold. We had kids who were a week away from heading out on their trip, so you can imagine the disappointment. For a lot of these kids, their wish trip is a sense of relief, it’s a sense of joy, and it’s hope. It’s a chance to be a kid again, to run and play and laugh, and not worry about hospitals or doctors’ visits,” he said.
The organization has granted over 1,700 wishes to children living in Montgomery, Greene, Miami, Darke, Shelby, and Mercer Counties since it started. About 50 boxes have been sent out to children whose wishes weren’t able to be granted this year. A Special Wish has about 30 more boxes it plans to send out.
Seyer brought the idea of the boxes to his wish manager Tyler Gregory, and they decided together that it was something they needed to do. When children come to the organization, they are asked to fill out a wish form that Seyer and Gregory used to create the wish boxes.
“We customized those boxes just so they knew they weren’t forgotten about and that their wish was on its way,” he said. “We’ve heard from so many families how hard it was on these kids to know that their trips were postponed and the even harder part is that we’ve had kids who have unfortunately passed during this year who were unable to get their wish.”
The boxes contain items that are related to their wish. For kids going to Disney, their boxes would have a Disney calendar, travel guide and a throw blanket. Other boxes include personalized items like their favorite color M&Ms and their favorite games.
Seyer said they are forever grateful for the Dayton Foundation as it sponsored the boxes.
“Through a grant process we were able to secure the funds that we need so we didn’t have to tap into our wish granting budget,” Seyer said.
The Dayton Foundation granted A Special Wish almost $9,000 to complete the wish boxes.
“The Dayton Foundation is pleased to provide a sense of hope and joy in fulfilling children’s wishes,” said Barbara Stonerock, vice president of community engagement for the Dayton Foundation.
Children have started receiving their wish boxes and are happy with their surprises inside, which Seyer said is the organization’s only goal.
“Our kids are the most important part in our organization and we’re always thinking of ways to bring them a little bit of happiness,” he said.
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