MakeAWish Foundation History

The first wish that the foundation granted was for a child to be a police officer. This is something that was done by a group of volunteers who went out of their way and made the wish came true. From then onwards the foundation has never looked back. The history of this first wish can be traced back to Christopher James Greicius, a 7 year old boy in the year 1980 who wanted to be a police officer. He was being treated of leukemia and there was hardly any hope for survival.

A U.S. Customs Officer Tommy Austin, who was a friend of his parents', promised the child a ride in the police helicopter. This promise was fulfilled when Christopher's health was deteriorating so that his spirits could be raised to make him feel better. An officer of the Arizona Department of Public Safety was contacted and the helicopter ride was organized.

The day was planned in style and three cruisers and a motorcycle officer greeted the boy before he went on to meet the DPS command staff. He was actually sworn in as the first honorary DPS patrolman in the history of the state.

A custom tailored DPS uniform was made for Christopher and two seamstresses worked through the night to create the uniform. The official uniform was presented to the boy and a motorcycle proficiency test was created to award wings to him too. The battery operated motorcycle helped him to earn his wings in style.

Christopher passed away soon after that, but the legend of this story lived on to create a foundation that has helped many children achieve their wish. When the volunteers saw the amount of joy that it bought a dying child, they thought it would be a great idea to take it forward. The first donation that the foundation received was from a grocery shop to the tune of $15. The foundation received a tax-exempt status in November, 1980 and by March 1981 the Make-A-Wish Foundation had received $2000, an amount that was good enough to grant another wish.

NOTE: Information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Some content is compiled from 3rd party sources. If you are aware of incorrect or outdated information, feel free to contact us.