Make-A-Wish SC: Fulfilling Dreams for Critically Sick Children (with Mom's Story!)

Shannon Rice is the Coastal Regions Development Officer at Make-A-Wish South Carolina and she joins Hart Peary a Make-A-Wish Mom along with host Erin Kienzle they talk about what Make-A-Wish South Carolina does, and their fundraising and their life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Make sure to listen in through to the end to find out how Hart and her family chose to move to Charleston from Massachusetts.

Mom Hart Peary opens up talking about Charlie, her former Make-a-Wish child. As a 9-year-old his wish was "Charlie-Palooza", a Celebration of Friendship. For one day Make-a-Wish threw the biggest party they've ever thrown. His friends, classmates, and family from around the country flew in, his doctors, nurse, and his entire school, and they joined him for a day to leave the hospital and have fun with face painting, arcades, candy rooms, fire trucks, police escorts and as Hart put it, it was just "ridiculously fun".

Hart accepted a Wish Society Nomination into Women Inspiring Strength & Hope (WISH), which is a group of 11 ladies in South Carolina to inspire, strengthen, and give hope to this community. These women give back to this wonderful organization and they commit to raising at least $7,500 each. Explaining her participation in Women Inspiring Strength & Hope to raise funds to pay for children's wishes, she said every dollar counts because some wishes, like Charlie's, cost much more than South Carolina's average of $7,500 to make those wishes happen.

Shannon says with this current group of women including Hart she's watched them form relationships and become friends while they're busy with church, family, and business and as they support one another toward raising the funds to grant as many wishes as possible.

You can also help by becoming a Make-a-Wish volunteer. Shannon explained the different ways to help the organization and referred people to wish.org/sc and go to Events to find out where and when to donate, or you can go to Ways to Help Us to find out how to help make more wishes come true.