Charitable Giving and the Make-A-Wish Foundation

A representative of the Make-A-Wish Foundation recently met with the attorneys of Morris Hall to discuss the Foundation’s program and goals. If you are not familiar with Make A Wish, it is a wonderful organization that grants special wishes to children with serious illnesses. Make A Wish is a 501(c)(3) that was founded in Arizona and has been in operation for approximately 30 years. During this time, they have granted over 200,000 wishes, ranging from a seven-year-old boy with leukemia who wanted to be a police officer, to an 18 year old young woman who wanted to soak up the sun in Hawaii.

The average cost for each wish granted is approximately $7,500.00. Some wishes cost less and some wishes cost significantly more. Many wishes involve travel to theme parks like Disneyland or more exotic locations like Patagonia, Argentina. Make-A-Wish provides funds and planning to transport the child’s entire family to take part in the experience. This results in significant travel costs, often on short notice at peak travel times.

Most people are not aware that a simple way to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to donate accumulated airline miles to help them cover the cost of providing travel. You can learn more about this opportunity by contacting Make-A-Wish at www.wish.org. You can also use your estate planning to gift mileage and funds to charities such as Make-A-Wish. We would be happy to discuss opportunities to donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, or other charities you would like to leave a legacy with. For a free consultation, contact MH at 888.222.1328.

About Morris Hall:

At Morris Hall, we have focused our legal practice on estate planning for over 40 years. Along with estate planning, our attorneys help clients and their families with matters of probate, trust administration, wills, powers of attorney, business planning, succession planning, legacy planning, charitable gifting and other important legal aspects. We also have divisions in financial, real estate and accounting to help you incorporate all of your planning together, ensuring that everything works perfectly for your needs and situation. Our Arizona offices are located in Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Tucson, Prescott, Flagstaff and Arrowhead. Our New Mexico offices are located in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe. Contact us today at 888.222.1328 to schedule an appointment!