Kids Wish Network
Encyclopedia
Kids Wish Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
that grants wishes to children with life-threatening
medical conditions.
The charity was founded in 1997 by Shelley and Mark Breiner after the loss of Shelley's father to cancer, and was inspired by the many youth cancer patients Shelley met during her father's chemotherapy treatments. Kids Wish Network operates out of a single office in Holiday, Florida
.
The most common wishes granted by the organization are Florida theme park trips, which account for close to 40% of wishes granted , although celebrities are also in high demand as people that children want to meet.
Some of the other popular types of wishes include wishes for playhouses , shopping sprees , game systems , computers , pools and even the occasional car makeover .
Child care facilities throughout the entire country are members of this program and they participate by nominating one child every month for the whole year. The nominee becomes their “Hero of the Month” and is awarded with special gifts and a prepaid gift card .
The Gift Banks are created from brand new donated toys, games and other gifts from many manufacturers and distributors nationwide. “Once received by Kids Wish Network, these…items are distributed directly to the facilities and into the hands of thousands of children and teens.”
CSX Transportation, Food City, the Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce and Kids Wish Network will be sponsoring Santa Train on Saturday, Nov. 20. Kids Wish Network will play a key role in gathering toys to distribute to children who live across the 110-mile Santa Train route between Shelby, Ky and Kingsport, Tenn.
Their Charity Navigator rating for fiscal year ending May, 2008 shows one star overall, zero stars for efficiency, and three for capacity; the two previous years vary in capacity rating, but also show one star overall and zero for efficiency.
In 2004, charity watchdog American Institute of Philanthropy gave Kids Wish Network an F.
Kids Wish Network's IRS form 990 for tax year ending 5/31/2009 shows that out of $14,601,852 in gross receipts from fundraising activities, $12,885,479 was paid to fundraisers and $1,716,373—or about 12%--was retained by the organization. IRS documents also show that the three officers of the board—husband and wife founders Mark and Shelley Breiner and Shelley Briener's mother, Barbara Askin, received a total of over $200,000 in compensation for serving as officers of the Board of Directors .
The list includes:
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that grants wishes to children with life-threatening
Chronic (medicine)
A chronic disease is a disease or other human health condition that is persistent or long-lasting in nature. The term chronic is usually applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include asthma, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.In medicine, the...
medical conditions.
The charity was founded in 1997 by Shelley and Mark Breiner after the loss of Shelley's father to cancer, and was inspired by the many youth cancer patients Shelley met during her father's chemotherapy treatments. Kids Wish Network operates out of a single office in Holiday, Florida
Holiday, Florida
Holiday , is a census-designated place in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 21,904 at the 2000 census.The name Holiday, like the names of many towns, comes from a spark...
.
Programs
The charity started out with the single purpose of granting wishes to children suffering from life-threatening conditions. Since then they have created a number of different programs that benefit kids nationwide. The catalyst for launching the other programs beyond wish granting began when it became clear to the charity that the children they serve demonstrated needs above and beyond the extent of wishes.Wish Granting
The founding program of Kids Wish Network, a wish can be granted to a child between the ages of 3 and 18 who is living with a life-threatening illness. Further qualifications are that the child has not had a wish with another wish-granting organization and that the child must be able to communicate his or her wish either verbally or non-verbally.The most common wishes granted by the organization are Florida theme park trips, which account for close to 40% of wishes granted , although celebrities are also in high demand as people that children want to meet.
Some of the other popular types of wishes include wishes for playhouses , shopping sprees , game systems , computers , pools and even the occasional car makeover .
Celebrity Wishes
They are able to get the assistance of celebrities to grant some of the wishes. Some of the celebrities who have helped Kids Wish Network grant wishes include:- “Desperate Housewives” stars Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman
- President George W. Bush
- President Barack Obama ,
- Disney Channel's Demi Lovato
- Disney Channel's Dylan & Cole Sprouse
- Country singer Martina McBride
- R&B artist Keyshia Cole
- NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- NASCAR driver Ricky Carmichael
- Rock artist Gene Simmons
- Children’s book author Jonathan London
- WWE Superstar John Cena
- WWE Superstar CM Punk
- WWE Superstar Jeff Hardy
- Recording artist Rihanna
- Recording artist Lee Ann Womack
- Latin Recording Artist Gloria Estefan
- West Coast Choppers CEO Jesse James
- Chuck Norris
- Country artist Brad Paisley
- R&B artist Mariah Carey
- American Idol Star and Recording artist Kelly Clarkson
- Recording artist Alan Jackson
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
- Survival Specialist Bear Grylls
- NFL Pro Football team Pittsburgh Steelers
- Recording artist George Strait
- Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe
- Animal expert Jack Hanna
- Rock band Third Day
- Recording artist Chris Brown
- American Idol judges Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell
- Recording artist Britney Spears
- Disney Channel's the Jonas Brothers
- NBA Star Michael Jordan
- NFL Head Coach Jon Gruden
- Actress Halle Berry
- NASCAR Driver Tony Stewart
- NASCAR Driver Jimmie Johnson
- Country band Lonestar
- Actor Jackie Chan
- Actress Nicole Kidman
- American Journalist Katie Couric
- Recording artist Jessica Simpson
- Recording artist Kenny Chesney
- Skateboarder Ryan Sheckler
- NASCAR Driver Ricky Carmichael
- Musician Paul McCartney
- Hilary Duff
- NBA Star Shaquille O’Neal
- MLB team the Chicago Cubs
- Recording artist Justin Timberlake
- Disney Channel's Miley Cyrus
- Recording artist Celine Dion
- Pro Football Hall-of-Famer John Elway
- Recording artist Dave Matthews
- Idina Menzel
- The Backstreet Boys
- MLB team the Baltimore Orioles
- Soccer player Landon Donovan
- Recording artist Tim McGraw
- Josh Turner
- NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick
- Actress Julia Roberts
- Recording artist Beyonce Knowles
- Actor Mark Hamill
- The cast of Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures
- Fashion designer Marc Jacobs
- Michael J. Fox
- Kevin Garnett, of the Boston Celtics
- Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette of “NCIS”
- Miranda Cosgrove of “iCarly”
Hero of the Month
The honorees of this program are children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have overcome life-altering circumstances, often enduring a great deal of pain and suffering . Although their young lives are changed forever, their courage and spirit serve as an inspiration to us all .Child care facilities throughout the entire country are members of this program and they participate by nominating one child every month for the whole year. The nominee becomes their “Hero of the Month” and is awarded with special gifts and a prepaid gift card .
Holiday of Hope Gift Banks
This is a gift-giving program that is designed to bring cheer to children admitted to emergency rooms, pediatric hospitals, shelters and other care facilities for children in crisis nationwide.The Gift Banks are created from brand new donated toys, games and other gifts from many manufacturers and distributors nationwide. “Once received by Kids Wish Network, these…items are distributed directly to the facilities and into the hands of thousands of children and teens.”
2009 & 2010 CSX Santa Train
CSX Corporation, one of the largest transportation companies incorporating rail, container shipping, etc., has chosen Kids Wish Network as their “charity of choice” to help out with the annual CSX Santa Train event . In November 2009, Kids Wish Network donated over $130,000 worth of items for the CSX Santa Train, which delivers food, toys and gifts to the impoverished families throughout the Appalachian mountains each year .CSX Transportation, Food City, the Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce and Kids Wish Network will be sponsoring Santa Train on Saturday, Nov. 20. Kids Wish Network will play a key role in gathering toys to distribute to children who live across the 110-mile Santa Train route between Shelby, Ky and Kingsport, Tenn.
Funeral Assistance
For the families of the children for whom Kids Wish Network has either granted a wish or honored as a “Hero of the Month,” the charity offers Funeral Assistance in the unfortunate event of the child’s passing .Concerns and Controversy
Due to their high expense to spend rate, Kids Wish Network is frequently identified as a low graded charity by local and national organizations.Their Charity Navigator rating for fiscal year ending May, 2008 shows one star overall, zero stars for efficiency, and three for capacity; the two previous years vary in capacity rating, but also show one star overall and zero for efficiency.
In 2004, charity watchdog American Institute of Philanthropy gave Kids Wish Network an F.
Kids Wish Network's IRS form 990 for tax year ending 5/31/2009 shows that out of $14,601,852 in gross receipts from fundraising activities, $12,885,479 was paid to fundraisers and $1,716,373—or about 12%--was retained by the organization. IRS documents also show that the three officers of the board—husband and wife founders Mark and Shelley Breiner and Shelley Briener's mother, Barbara Askin, received a total of over $200,000 in compensation for serving as officers of the Board of Directors .
Partners
Kids Wish Network has an exhaustive list of local and national partners . They refer to them as Guardian Angels .The list includes:
- Airtran
- Best Buy
- Brighthouse Networks
- Chic-Fil-A
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Pirates Dinner Cafe
- Royal Plaza Hotel
- Wonderworks