The event featured themed trick-or-treat stations, costumes and costumed characters Friday afternoon at a Murray headquarters transformed into a storybook world, as part of an annual Halloween event for children fighting critical illnesses and their families. For a few hours, the afternoon centered on candy, crafts and themed activities for families.
Make-A-Wish Utah hosted its Wish Family Trick-or-Treat event at the Kahlert Foundation Wishing Place in Murray, according to KSL News. The gathering brought together families caring for a child diagnosed with a critical illness, and the outlet reports the day included themed trick-or-treat stations, costumed characters and interactive activities meant to turn the headquarters into a storybook adventure for the afternoon.
Local businesses, community organizations and volunteers helped bring the experience to life, per the same report. Jenny Hortin, Make-A-Wish Utah's director of volunteer services, said the organization creates hope for families facing different diagnoses and difficult medical conditions, and described the event as part of many wish families' healing journey. She added that wish families can see how many people care about them simply by showing up to an event like this one.
A Family's Wish and a Day to Reconnect
Among the families in attendance was the Hansens, whose son Clark had his wish granted with a trip to Florida to watch a rocket launch, the station's report notes. His mother, Lizzie Hansen, said the family got away from treatment and hospital appointments and simply enjoyed time together, calling the wish experience the best experience. She also said the Halloween gathering let her family meet other people who understood their situation.
That sense of shared understanding is central to why Make-A-Wish stages events like this one at all. Make-A-Wish Utah creates personalized experiences designed to bring hope and joy to children facing critical illnesses, a mission that extends well beyond any single afternoon of costumes and candy.
Hundreds of Utah Wishes Still Waiting
The need is substantial. About 300 children in Utah were waiting for their wishes to be granted, per Make-A-Wish Utah. Nationally, the organization grants about 15 wishes every day to children diagnosed with critical illnesses, according to the same account relayed by KSL.
Spreading joy at the Make-A-Wish Utah ‘Trick or Treat’ event! Our team had a blast!
Funding that pipeline of wishes depends heavily on philanthropy. The Kahlert Foundation pledged $2.5 million to support Utah wish kids, a gift significant enough that Make-A-Wish Utah renamed its headquarters the Kahlert Foundation Wishing Place in recognition, according to ABC4. The building held its ribbon-cutting ceremony in February 2024, with the Kahlert Foundation Board of Directors in attendance, as noted by the Kahlert Foundation.
How the Chapter Pays for Wishes
Make-A-Wish Utah president and CEO Daniel Dudley has said the chapter receives more than 3,000 donations a year on average, per the Kahlert Foundation's account. The chapter finances its work through corporate sponsorships, special events, foundation grants and individual contributions, according to Make-A-Wish Utah, which is organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit, meaning contributions are deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Fiscal year 2023 audit results show the chapter spent 78.8% of every dollar on wish granting and related program expenses, with 11.7% going to management and general costs and 9.5% allocated to fundraising, per the chapter's own figures. Earlier fundraising pushes have translated directly into wishes granted: Make-A-Wish Utah's Drive for Wishes campaign raised enough to fund 80 wishes, according to the Murray Journal, which also reported the chapter granted 213 wishes for Utah children in fiscal year 2022 and planned to grant 230 the following year.
That campaign has continued annually since. The nonprofit kicked off its seventh annual Drive for Wishes campaign in St. George in April, with this year's launch held at the Kiln coworking space, according to St. George News. The drive includes wish reveals for children waiting on a wish, employee giving events and fundraisers held throughout the month, the outlet reported, noting that one wish child named Mavrek was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor in December and was undergoing chemotherapy at the time.
Other wishes granted through the chapter have ranged from rocket launches to national parks. The Murray Journal also reported that a Utah child named Ezra, who experienced vision impairments following brain tumor treatment, had his wish granted with a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, drawing on his love of the outdoors.
