PHOENIX, April 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Make-A-Wish® announced Wednesday,
April 12, a new, cutting-edge fundraising approach to
support their efforts to grant the wish of every eligible child.
Wishmaker, developed in conjunction with CrowdRise, is an
online, crowd-funding platform that rallies individuals nationwide
to contribute toward granting a child's wish and to encourage their
social media networks to do the same. During the month of April,
Make-A-Wish has partnered with WWE® to use
Wishmaker to exclusively raise funds for WWE-related
wishes.
Fundraising for the WWE wishes is currently underway and will
culminate on World Wish Day, April
29, the day that inspired the founding of Make-A-Wish in
1980 and an annual celebration of those who make wishes
possible.
The collaboration between Make-A-Wish and WWE comes on the heels
of WWE's premier event, and also the largest wish granting event of
the year, WrestleMania®. Make-A-Wish sent 39 wish kids
and their families – more than 150 total participants – to
Orlando, Fla., for their wish to
attend WrestleMania.
"With Wishmaker, we are venturing into exciting,
uncharted territory to involve members of the community in the wish
granting process like never before," said David Williams, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish
America. "Wish families who have had a WWE-related wish know
firsthand the immeasurable confidence and strength the experience
can give. In addition, we know through new, independent research
that wishes have significant impacts on a child's quality of life
resulting in better health outcomes. There has never been a more
important time for the community to come together to make the wish
experience possible for more wish kids."
"Putting a smile on a child's face is a honor and a privilege,"
said Stephanie McMahon, WWE Chief
Brand Officer. "We are excited
about using Wishmaker to help bring the community together,
enhance the wish experience, and raise funds to help further WWE's
longstanding partnership with Make-A-Wish. These kids are heroes,
they are the real Superstars, and every one of them deserves the
chance to have their wish come true."
Wishmaker represents a bold step for Make-A-Wish in the
fundraising space. Make-A-Wish hopes to be able to grant 17,000
wishes a year by 2020 – nearly 2,000 wishes more than in 2016 –
requiring significant increases in fundraising. To visit
Wishmaker, go to wish.org/WWEWishmaker.
About Make-A-Wish®
Make-A-Wish grants the
wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to
enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. With the
help of generous donors and more than 33,000 volunteers,
Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 34
minutes.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE),
is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global
entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses
that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a
global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment
on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and
publishing platforms. WWE programming reaches more than 650 million
homes worldwide in 20 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7
over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views,
scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is
currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is
headquartered in Stamford, Conn.,
with offices in New York,
Los Angeles, London, Mexico
City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich
and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at
wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global
activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/
Tweet about Wishmaker: Join @MakeAWish & @WWE
to help grant wishes for kids with critical illnesses by becoming a
#WWEwishmaker: wish.org/WWEWishmaker.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/make-a-wish-utilizes-innovative-wishmaker-platform-to-grant-more-wishes-300438701.html
SOURCE Make-A-Wish Foundation of America