Kids Wish Network Frequently Asked Questions
Our most common questions come from wish families or relatives who want to know if we can help their child. The following FAQ section covers our most common inquiries. If you do not see your question here, please Contact Us at 888-918-9004 [toll-free].
We will be happy to respond to any questions you may have.
Wish FAQ's
What are the criteria for granting a wish?
Do you only grant wishes to children who are terminally ill?
Will you grant a wish to a child with a life-threatening illness who is unable to communicate?
What kinds of wishes are most frequently requested?
What kinds of wishes are not considered?
Who is permitted to go on the child's wish with him/her?
My child's wish is a travel wish. What dates can we travel?
Is there any charge to the family of a wish child?
Is a family's economic status a factor for their child to be eligible for a wish?
Where do wish child referrals come from?
Holiday of Hope Gift Bank FAQ's
How does a facility become a member of the Holiday of Hope Gift Bank program?
How many toys can a Gift Bank facility expect to receive?
What age groups do you include in the Gift Banks?
Where do you get your toys for the Gift Banks?
May we share the toys with other facilities?
Is there a cost to the hospital?
Do you have any information about recalled toys?
Does your Gift Bank include toys manufactured in China?
Hero of the Month FAQ's
How does a facility become a Hero of the Month member facility?
How does a child qualify?
How often may a hospital nominate a child?
Who may nominate a child?
What is the age range for nominees?
What does the nominee receive?
Is there a waiting list?
Is there a cost to the facility?
Funeral Assistance FAQ's
Who qualifies for this assistance?
Is there a time frame for families to be eligible for this unique program?
Financial FAQ's
Is Kids Wish Network governed by any over-sight reporting agency?
Are Kids Wish Network financials audited?
Is Kids Wish Network registered with the Better Business Bureau?
What is the average cost of a wish?
If I want to make a larger donation, how much will benefit the kids?
Does Kids Wish Network use professional fundraising companies?
Can I donate anonymously?
Can we sponsor a child's wish in our area?
Can I make a donation to Kids Wish Network on behalf of someone else?
Wish FAQ's
What are the criteria for granting a wish?
We grant wishes to children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have a life-threatening illness and who have not had a previous wish with another organization. The child also must be able to communicate his or her wish, either verbally or nonverbally. A certified medical doctor must sign a form signifying that his or her patient's condition is life- threatening - no other medical prognosis is required.
Unlike most organizations, which require a child's physician to sign a statement of probability that the child will not survive past the age of eighteen, Kids Wish Network requires only that the physician verify the child's condition as life-threatening. We believe in celebrating life and encourage our wish families and kids to remain hopeful.
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Do you only grant wishes to children who are terminally ill?
Ours is a mission of hope for a full recovery, and we have witnessed first-hand miracles in that regard. A doctor must only sign a form indicating that the child's condition is life-threatening to qualify medically for a wish.
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Will you grant a wish to a child with a life-threatening illness who is unable to communicate?
We will grant wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses who are able to communicate their wish either verbally or non-verbally. We are committed to ensuring that the wish desired, truly comes from the child. If a child is non-verbal, we will need to have the wish verified through a professional non-family member who works with the child. (I.E.: doctor, social worker, teacher, etc.)
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What kinds of wishes are most frequently requested?
To meet a celebrity, theme park visits, shopping sprees, and traveling are all popular choices. We have also fulfilled many requests for commodity wishes such as playground sets, computers and high definition televisions.
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What kinds of wishes are not considered?
We are unable to grant wishes such as motorized vehicles, hunting trips, in-ground pools or in-ground hot tubs or international travel due to liability. We also do not grant wishes for pets, medical equipment or home improvements. We do not give cash.
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Who is permitted to go on the child's wish with him?
Immediate family members living in the same house with the child are eligible to participate in the wish. If a sibling is over the age of 18, we will need proof of residency for that sibling. We will also permit a nurse to attend if the child is in need of professional medical assistance.
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My child's wish is a travel wish. What dates can we travel?
We make every attempt to work with your desired schedule. However, we do not schedule travel wishes during any holidays or spring break.
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Is there any charge to the family of a wish child?
Kids Wish Network never charges a wish family for fulfilling a child's wish. All expenses for the wish are appropriately funded. We believe the families should not be burdened by the financial cost of their child's wish.
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Is a family's economic status a factor for their child to be eligible for a wish?
There are absolutely no income qualification requirements that a wish family must meet in order for their child to be eligible for a wish.
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Where do wish child referrals come from?
There are many referral sources for wish kids, including professional fundraisers, hospitals, medical organizations and parents, relatives and friends who are aware of a child who may be eligible for a wish.
They hear about us from press releases, public service announcements, volunteers, our website, fundraisers and numerous other sources.
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Holiday of Hope Gift Bank FAQ's
How does a facility become a member of the Holiday of Hope Gift Bank program?
Contact Kids Wish Network at 888-918-9004 and ask to speak to a hospital coordinator.
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How many toys can a Gift Bank facility expect to receive?
This depends upon the size of the facility, your pediatric census and the amount of available storage space. In general, the amount of toys received in the Gift Bank last from 6-12 months.
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What age groups do you include in the Gift Banks?
Our Gift Banks include toys targeted to children between 3 and 12. Upon request and if available, we will send toys for infants and teenagers up to the age of 18.
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Where do you get your toys for the Gift Banks?
Our toys are all brand new, top of the line products donated to Kids Wish Network by some of America's leading toy manufacturers and distributors.
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May we share the toys with other facilities?
The toys belong to Kids Wish Network until they are placed into the hands of the child. That is why the program is called a "Gift Bank". Therefore the toys must remain to be distributed only within the contracted facility.
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Is there a cost to the hospital?
There is no cost to the facility to receive a Gift Bank. However, we may seek sponsorship to underwrite the costs of shipping and handling of this program.
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Do you have any information about recalled toys?
Kids Wish Network can assure our wish families and Holiday of Hope Gift Bank member hospitals that anytime a recall occurs, and we have the recalled product in our inventory, it is immediately pulled.
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Does your Gift Bank include toys manufactured in China?
Approximately 80% of all toys coming into the U.S. are manufactured in China. Therefore, a similar percentage of our inventory is produced there.
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Hero of the Month FAQ's
How does a facility become a Hero of the Month member facility?
Contact Kids Wish Network at 888-918-9004 and ask to speak to a hospital
coordinator.
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How does a child qualify?
The child must have been treated at the nominating facility and not have a life-threatening illness. They must not have received a wish from any other organization.
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How often may a hospital nominate a child?
Member facilities may nominate one child per month for the length of their agreement which generally runs for 1 or 2 years.
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Who may nominate a child?
A health care professional can nominate a child. (I.E.: a nurse, physician or social worker can nominate a child and submit them to Kids Wish Network's hospital coordinator for consideration.
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What is the age range for nominees?
3 to 18 years of age.
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What does the nominee receive?
The child receives a beautiful personalized certificate, a Hero t-shirt, a good luck Guardian Angel coin or medallion, a congratulations letter, membership into the KWN Kids Klub and a gift card valued at between $200 and $500 depending on the child's age.
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Is there a waiting list?
Yes, this is an extremely popular program. In general, you can expect to receive a commencement date for the program within 3 to 6 months of signing the agreement.
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Is there a cost to the facility?
There is no cost to the facility. However, we may seek sponsorship to cover the costs of the program.
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Funeral Assistance FAQ's
Who qualifies for this assistance?
Kids Wish Network assists the families of our wish kids who have passed away prior to 21 years of age, to ensure a proper end of life ceremony.
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Is there a time frame for families to be eligible for this unique program?
This assistance is available to the family for up to 60 days after the child has passed.
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Financial FAQ's
Is Kids Wish Network governed by any over-sight reporting agency?
Kids Wish Network is a 501(c) 3 charitable organization. As such, the Internal Revenue Service requires the filing of a 990 informational return on a yearly basis that is open for public inspection and can be viewed on the Internet at www.guidestar.org. In addition, we are registered with and comply with the laws governing charitable organizations in all 50 states. Each state has its own requirements and over-sight agencies. Our non-profit foundation was organized in the State of Florida and the agency responsible for oversight of our charitable solicitation and registration is Florida's Division of Consumer Services. They can be reached toll free at 1-800-435-7352.
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Are Kids Wish Network financials audited?
In a further effort to provide our supporters with timely and accurate information, we voluntarily undergo an independent annual audit of our finances by an independent accounting firm. We also take the unprecedented measure of having the same rigorous audit standards performed on each and every individual wish to ensure the accuracy of the amount spent fulfilling the wish. Upon request we will be happy to provide private citizens and organizations with the same information supplied to the agencies that regulate charitable organizations.
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Is Kids Wish Network registered with the Better Business Bureau?
From its inception, Kids Wish Network has kept administrative costs below 5%. In order to keep these costs to a minimum we do not subscribe to reporting service requests from organizations not sanctioned by a government over-sight agency; I.E: the BBB, or other consumer unions who often require listing fees. In addition, some of these bureaus do not subscribe to commonly accepted accounting principles when evaluating charitable organizations. State agencies were expressly set up to provide consumer protection, at no cost to the foundation or our supporters, and we feel they provide the most direct, accurate and unbiased information available. If you are unsure about how to contact your state agency, please contact us.
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What is the average cost of a wish?
The cost of a wish varies dramatically from child to child depending on the type of wish they choose. If you were to take the direct costs spent on wishes and divide it by the number of wishes an organization performs, you could calculate an average of the direct costs per wish. This figure, however, does not include the time any paid staff members devoted to the wish or the overhead necessary to conduct support operations. Kids Wish Network is unique in that all wish files are audited and reviewed independently, therefore you can rely on the accuracy in the numbers of wishes granted and the cost of those wishes.
Our wish costs are generally substantially lower than the average for wish-granting organizations because we have made it part of our mission and policy to actively seek the participation of the business community in a non-traditional way. In addition to cash donations, we ask businesses to participate by donating goods and services to help fulfill individual wishes whenever possible. We believe seeking their active involvement is worth the extra time and effort both from a community spirit standpoint and because our strategy leaves us with a larger cash reserve to help more kids when we do have to buy direct to fulfill a child's wish.
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If I want to make a larger donation, how much will benefit the kids?
Kids Wish Network created the Guardian Angel Fund, which was initiated with a grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, to specifically and uniquely address donation distribution concerns. Any donation may be directed to this fund, whereby 100% of the donation will be used for direct program service costs. Our supporters who have named Kids Wish Network as the beneficiary of a trust, estate or insurance policy, or other planned giving program, direct the funds to this account.
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Does Kids Wish Network use professional fundraising companies?
Kids Wish Network has chosen to keep internal operations focused on fulfilling wishes. As such, we contract with professional fundraisers to assist us. We audit these companies to ensure they meet professional standards. More importantly, we require these companies to ask everyone they approach on our behalf, if they are aware of a child in need of our services. The majority of children we serve are located by these fundraising companies.
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Can I donate anonymously?
Yes, we recognize that many of our supporters, from individuals to corporations and celebrities, may choose to help our wish kids without public recognition. All requests for privacy are strictly adhered to.
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Can we sponsor a child's wish in our area?
Simply go to the Meet our Wish Kids section of the website and click on a child in your area. If you do not see a child listed in your area, e-mail or call the Wish Department toll free at 888-918-9004 for additional information on children in need of your help. We do not list all of our wish kids on our website for privacy reasons and the status of current wishes can change daily.
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Can I make a donation to Kids Wish Network on behalf of someone else?
If you would like to donate a gift on someone's behalf, you can do so on our web site by clicking on this link. An email and/or card notification will be sent to the recipient of the gift with your personal note. For more information, please call 888-918-9004.
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