The HSE Make-A-Wish club is truly something special. To have a group of high school students lead this club and meet their goal of raising 8-10 thousand dollars 2 years in a row is astonishing. Make-A-Wish club officers come up with new, inventive ideas for fundraising events that truly leave an impact on this community by helping grant a child’s wish. HSE Make-A-Wish was awarded the youth leaders of the year award in 2020 due to still being able to raise $10,000 during a pandemic! This club shows how young minds can impact our community when they have a cause that means so much to them and is worth fighting for.

Testimony from a prior Make a Wish Recipient (also a former club student president for HSE!):

Hi! My name is Luke Andritsch, I am an entrepreneurship and innovation major at Butler University. I am the former co-president of the HSE Make-A-Wish club. I want to share why this charity is so important to me. When I was 3 1/2 years old I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This changed my families lives forever. Long gone where the days of going to a family dinner, or “toughing through it” when you had a little cold. Things were different now that I had essentially no immune system, little energy, and feeling sick constantly. I had to deal with the physical aspects of my cancer and the treatment, but my family also had to deal with it. From having to quarantine because a cold could kill me, to not having friends over, or going on family vacations because of my health. This is where Make-A-Wish came in. They asked me what I wanted to do and what my wish was. 5 year old me of course said “I want to have breakfast with spiderman, and swing from hospital to hospital giving kids the book “if you give a moose a muffin” so they will feel better”. The Make-A-Wish organization got to work, giving my family a private limo, and first class seats out to Orlando Florida where we were greeted in a hotel room full of toys and gifts. We met spiderman and many superheroes at Orlando studios on private meet and greets with them. All expenses were paid for, food, parks admissions… we all got to cut the lines for the rides too! I could go into so many small memories that Make-A-Wish did for my family and I during that trip, but the main point is Make-A-Wish lets a family going through something horrible, feel like a family again. I was able to spend time with my siblings, make memories, and got to forget about what was really going on in my life during that time and feel just like a kid again, instead of worrying about my chemo session. Make-A-Wish does amazing work by allowing kids to feel like kids in a time where their lives are far from normal. Please consider donating to this amazing organization.