While wish children are generally referred to us by doctors, nurses and social workers
who come into contact with them during their treatment, anyone can refer a child. If you know of a child between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 who lives or is being treated in Southern Florida, has never had a wish granted before and can be qualified by a doctor as having a life-threatening medical condition, contact us or click here to complete a referral form.

Every eligible child that is referred to us will have their wish granted.

Once a referral has been made and a child has been qualified for a wish by their physician, a trained team of volunteers, the Wish Granters, are assigned to work with that child to determine what their heartfelt wish will be, then work diligently with the Make-A-Wish Staff to make that wish come true.

Featured Referral Agent
Five years ago, Cindy Zehnder began working at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for the Hematology/Oncology department, and because she felt it was a program that instilled hope back into the lives of children that suffered from life-threatening medical conditions, she immediately began utilizing the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida.

The unit that Cindy works on primarily deals with children who suffer from either cancer or blood disorders. Many of these children stop attending regular school so that they are able to receive treatments at the hospital. “I feel that by granting them a wish, it instills hope and gives them something positive to look forward to during these difficult transitions in their life,” Cindy said. “We refer all our children to the Make-A-Wish Foundation because their wish truly does come true, and they are never disappointed,” she added.

The Pediatric Specialty Center/Clinic that Cindy works at has a “wish wall” decorated with various pictures and articles on granted wishes of their patients. Some of these stories, which Cindy holds close to her heart, include Walt Disney World^® wishes, trips to  Alaska and Italy, special shopping sprees and meeting celebrities such as Shania Twain and President Clinton. “It is a very rewarding, because I learn lessons about courage and strength from the families and children that I work with. I enjoy being a part of their journey and helping these families cope and grow through their child’s treatment,” Cindy said.

Cindy encourages all social workers, nurses, doctors and members of the treatment teams that work with children suffering from life-threatening medical conditions to refer to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “It has not only been a positive experience for our children and families working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida but it is a pleasure for us as members of the treatment team to have such a positive resource to offer our children.” Cindy said.

Joan Fenwick , Make-A-Wish Vice President of Program Services, has worked closely with Cindy from the beginning. “The Make-A-Wish magic starts with someone who understands our mission, someone like Cindy who consistently takes time from her busy schedule to refer a child to us,” she said.  “It takes someone who understands how relevant a wish can be to the entire family, someone who understands that a wish is a time of memories to be made and experiences to be shared and how the family dynamics are forever positively affected.”

We salute Cindy Zehnder and thank her for being such a loyal friend and true champion of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.