Every year, approximately 27,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with a critical illness. Every year, these children spend their time at endless doctors appointments, medications, and treatments. Every year, these 27,000 children get their childhood ripped away from them.

For a child, this has to be extremely exhausting and mentally taxing. However, there is some support for families who are experiencing this hardship. The Make-a-Wish Foundation was created in 1980 to give children and their families strength and hope. The Make-a-Wish Foundation grants “wishes” to children suffering from critical illnesses. A wish can range from living as a police officer for the day to a trip to Germany- it all depends on the child!

In the United States, a wish is granted every 34 minutes. However, it’s not easy nor cheap to grant wishes. According to Make-a-Wish, the average cost per wish is 7,500 dollars. A majority of this money is gathered through donation, whether they be directly donated to Make-a-Wish or through the community.

Here at Silver Creek High School, a new tradition has been started the past couple of years to help fund wishes in the community- Wish Week! Currently, the project is being run by junior Katelyn Johnston but it was founded by her older sister Julianne Johnston.

The project was founded because of Make-a-Wish’s past support for Julianne Johnston and her critical illness. The Johnstons were given the opportunity to go to Germany, which has inspired both sisters to be involved and spread the same joy that they were able to experience.

“I was granted by Make-a-Wish to be able to do some exciting things with my family… I want to be able to give back to the community that gave so much to me.” Katelyn Johnston explains.

At Silver Creek, Wish Week focuses on one recipient- the Wish Kid. Throughout the school year, various themed weeks and events are hosted to raise money for the Wish Kid in hopes of funding their wish. This year’s Wish Kid is Chloe! Chloe is 11 years old and has cystic fibrosis. She is from Longmont CO, and her wish is to go to Disney World.

At Silver Creek, Wish Week took place during the first week of April. Every day was a spirit day relating to Chloe’s interests or to her wish. At lunch, there were interactive and fun activities that either raised money or simply connected with the community.

Johnston paid due diligence in making sure that anyone and everyone could be involved in the Wish Week festivities! Prizes were given to those who were dressed the best for the spirit day and during the nights there were “percent back nights,” hosted at restaurants like Texas Roadhouse. Alongside this, there were also sporting events like the Longmont vs Silver Creek staff volleyball game- where all ticket proceeds went to Wish Week. Johnston also expanded the donation audience and hosted Penny Wars at Hygiene Elementary.

With all of this fundraising and more to come, Johnston has raised 1,500 dollars out of the 4,000 needed to fund Chloe’s wish. Despite some setbacks and scheduling conflicts, Johnston is still optimistic about the future of her project.

“I really hope that this project not only raises money for Make a Wish, but it continues to have an impact on the kids who get to go on these trips… it’s amazing what the benefit a wish has on a kid,” Johnston says. “I hope our community keeps this running for years to come.”

Next year, Johnston will be running Wish Week as a part of her Silver Creek Leadership Academy Capstone project, which will hopefully lead to more Wish Weeks and more fundraising opportunities. To support Chloe and her wish, you can follow @silvercreek.wishweek on Instagram!