Wishmakers on Campus

After two years of planning, Lauren Gray, A&S ’14, and Chelsea Healey, CSOM ’14, have brought Wishmakers on Campus to Boston College for its first year as a Registered Student Organization. Not only is this new to campus, it is also the first independent college campus club associated with Make-a-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

The Make-a-Wish® foundation is a nonprofit organization aimed to “provide profound joy and lasting hope” (Make-a Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island) to children aged 2½-18 years old with life threatening medical conditions by granting them wishes. Make-a-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island has granted over 6,000 wishes to children in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the past 26 years since it began. Chief Executive Officer of Make-A-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Charlotte Beattie, said that she hopes other colleges in the area will follow Boston College’s example and that Wishmakers on Campus will continue to engage young people in helping these children and families. In 2011, Gray became involved in this organization when she interned with Make-a-Wish® Hudson Valley. Healey became interested in Make-a-Wish® through directly seeing the value of wishes when her friend had a wish granted in high school.

Wishmakers on Campus will be assisting Make-a-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island by raising awareness and money. Through fundraising and events both on campus and in Boston, the club aims to raise $7,500 this year to support a child’s wish.

Gray and Healey both expressed that they were surprised Wishmakers had not been started on campus before, as it fits so well with the Boston College spirit. Gray says, “It’s a really admirable foundation that we foresee fitting perfectly into the BC community since it adheres very faithfully to its Jesuit Catholic identity and promotes the spirit of volunteerism.” They are excited about getting to know the people they are volunteering with and would like to see the students of Boston College come together to help deserving children in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island areas.

For more information on Make-a-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island, you can visit www.massri.wish.org. If you are interested in getting involved with Wishmakers on Campus, contact Chelsea Healey and Lauren Gray at wishmakersoncampusbc13@gmail.com. Meetings are biweekly.