March 2020 is a month that many will never forget. 

It was in March of 2020 that the World Health Organization declared that we were facing a pandemic outbreak called COVID-19. There were mask mandates, quarantines, and an immediate and radical change to our lives.

Nonprofits scrambled to decipher what the impact would be to their organizations. The Wishing Star Foundation was no different. Wishing Star has been serving children ages 3 to 21 who are battling a terminal or life-threatening illness in the Inland Empire for over 38 years. In those years, we have weathered the storms of recessions, turnover in staffing, and endured a multitude of changes and challenges. Like many, nothing had prepared us for the impact of a global pandemic.

One thing that we were acutely aware of was that our Wish Families needed us more now than ever. Our families were caring for their medically fragile children, one of the most vulnerable people groups.

Wishing Star is known for granting wishes for children. We have granted more than 1,400 wishes and served over 6,000 area families. If a child can wish it, typically, Wishing Star can grant it.

What people are not aware of is that we have two additional programs: Beyond the Wish and After the Wish. These programs support our children and families long after their wish has been granted.

Beyond the Wish keeps our families in the community by bringing them together for activities like sporting and holiday events, concerts, and a variety of other happenings. We assist financially when a child must procure treatment outside of the area, as well as purchasing necessary medical equipment when needed.

In the heartbreaking circumstances of a Wish Child passing away, the After the Wish program assists the family financially with funeral arrangements, grief counseling, and more.

It was during the pandemic that we used the Beyond the Wish program to begin distribution of personal protective equipment supply boxes to our families. These packages included masks, sanitizing wipes, gloves, disinfectant, and other needed items. We made sure our families had what they needed to keep safe and healthy while they quarantined at home.

We also experienced a surge of referrals during this time. The needs in our community were great, and we knew we needed to do everything we could to meet these increased needs. We had children who could not attend greatly needed therapies, so we brought their therapies to their home. We built therapy areas in their homes, purchased generators for those that are ventilator dependent, or created a backyard makeover so the children had a safe and secure place to play and exercise.

The Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofit organizations, published these statistics one year after the pandemic hit the U.S.:

•71% of nonprofits reported reduction in services.

•67% have furloughed employees.

•55% have closed offices.

•51% have laid off employees.

The impact COVID has had on the nonprofit sector has been colossal. Over half of domestic nonprofit organizations have closed their office doors. This statistic grieves my heart, as every time a nonprofit closes its doors, the community loses much-needed resources.

Wishing Star hunkered down, reached out to our community partners, and we were able to thrive under these trying times because of their generosity. Due to the pandemic, we had to cancel more than 19 travel wishes in spring of 2020. Last month, we were able to begin scheduling our travel wishes once again. Our families were thrilled.

At this time, we had to look at the health and well-being of our families regarding airline travel. We consulted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as local medical specialists to determine the stipulations needed around travel. We were made aware that there were other high-profile wish-granting organizations that were looking to open up travel wishes for their clients in the fall.

They had stipulated that only families that had been fully vaccinated would be allowed to participate in the fulfillment of these wishes. After this news came out on the national stage, Wishing Star began receiving calls and emails inquiring about our COVID policies. Through many conversations, input from the medical community and the support of the Board of Directors, Wishing Star concluded that it was not our position to require our Wish Families to be fully vaccinated to have their wish fulfilled.

Our number one priority is to make sure our kids are safe during travel wishes; however, it is not our position to impose COVID-19 vaccination requirements. With that said, we believe that this decision should be left up to the discretion of the Wish Family and their medical care team. 

They are the experts on their children’s disease process, not Wishing Star. This decision has been met with extremely positive feedback from our Wish Parents.

Now that we are back in the wish-granting business, Wishing Star continues to work with partnerships such as Disney World’s “Give Kids The World” program and other desired vacation destinations.

Wishing Star would like to say “thank you” to our community for your constant support for the Wish Children and their families in our area. We could not do it without you. If you would like to become involved with the Wishing Star Foundation, please visit us at www.wishingstar.org for more information.

Lonna Smith is executive director of Spokane-based Wishing Star Foundation, which can be found at www.wishingstar.org.