SEPTEMBER 2022:
As Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana kicks off a new fiscal year, the organization is celebrating that it granted 81 life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses from September 1, 2021 – August 31, 2022.
“When a wish is granted, a child replaces fear with confidence, sadness with joy and anxiety with hope” said Sue Salter, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana. “That’s why we are so passionate about granting every eligible child’s wish! Kids fighting critical illnesses need the transformational hope a wish can bring.”
Make-A-Wish serves children between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 who are battling a critical illness. A dedicated and active group of more than 265 volunteers across South Dakota and Montana play a key role in meeting with qualified children to determine their heartfelt wish.
“This has been an incredible year of making life-changing wishes come true,” said Steven Morgans, Board Chair of Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana. “The team at Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana worked extremely hard to impact the lives of these children and their families and are to be commended for their extraordinary efforts this year. The work of our organization is so important because a wish provides much needed relief from the trauma and stress caused by a child’s critical illness.”
Every wish experience begins with a wish referral from a caring individual that is part of a child’s medical care team, parents or other family members with in-depth medical knowledge of the child’s condition. Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana is on a quest to find and grant the wish of every eligible child in South Dakota and Montana.
In addition to the wishes granted to South Dakota and Montana kids, the local chapter also provided 13 wish assists to kids from across the United States whose wish was to travel to South Dakota or Montana. Those wishes allow the South Dakota & Montana chapter to assist the child’s home chapter in putting the details in place for a transformational wish experience.
In late July (July 29, 2022), 6-year-old Alex Green of Fort Pierre received a SWITCH HITTER through Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana. Green was born with a rare genetic disorder requiring him to use a wheel chair for mobility. The SWITCH HITTER attaches to his wheel chair and is triggered by a button Alex can press to make it swing at a ball. Alex is Tyler and Stacey Green’s youngest son and a Kindergartner this fall at the Stanley County School.
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AUGUST 2022:
For the past week, Tyler and Stacey Green’s youngest son has been able to play baseball with his siblings. While that may not seem like a big deal to many people, Tyler says it is for 6-year-old Alex who was born with a rare genetic disorder.
Green says through a South Dakota Department of Transportation coworker and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Alex received a SWITCH HITTER.
Green says he and Stacey knew it would be perfect for Alex when they watched a video of the SWITCH HITTER coworker Steve Rhoades sent them.
The Green family could almost field a baseball team on their own.
Green says having a crowd of cheering fans at the Stanley County Elementary School gymnasium when Alex received the wish (July 29, 2022) is something they will always treasure.
Alex will be a Kindergartner this fall at the Stanley County School.
Make-A-Wish partners making Alex’s gift possible include Adopt-A-Wish partner Ty Eschenbaum Foundation in memory of Autumn; Ability Tech LLC; Pizza Ranch; the Chesterman Company; the Pierre Trappers; the South Dakota Department of Transportation; the Stanley County School District; Governor Kristi Noem; photographer Tom Plooster and volunteer Laura Streich.
Courtesy photo.
Courtesy photo.
Courtesy photo.
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