National childhood charity Make-A-Wish has debuted a new way to beat end-of-the-year holiday stress and spark a bit of hope, all with a simple phone call.
From Dec. 4 to Dec. 31, anyone can ring the organization’s new Holiday Wish Line to receive a needed dose of seasonal joy from one of six Make-A-Wish kids, each of whom have recorded their favorite jokes, stories, advice, and reminders of holiday cheer for all to hear.
“Hope is a guiding force for wish kids and their families as they face the unimaginable. The instant a child’s hope is realized, they experience a powerful, life-changing joy that nurtures their emotional well-being,” wrote Make-A-Wish America president and CEO Leslie Motter. “The Holiday Wish Line allows anyone, at any time, to receive a dose of hope and joy from our wish kids.”
Callers can also go online to read more about each of the participating wish grantees, like 11-year-old aspirational content creator Ava, or Annabelle, a 9-year-old from Clovis, California who dreams of her favorite hockey team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Ava herself leads the hotline charge, offering eight different prompts for callers, including messages in Spanish.
Credit: Make-A-Wish
Credit: Make-A-Wish
Press 2, for example, to hear bits of holiday cheer from Annabelle and her fellow wish grantees. “If someone was sad in my family,” Annabelle advises, “I would give them a hug and say, ‘Do you want to play with me?'”
“I would say, ‘How bout I be your friend? I can bring you joy, hope, and be kind to you,” says another wish grantee. “It will be okay.”
To hear from the Make-A-Wish kids themselves, call (480) 914-9474 (WISH).
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