One Simple Wish

Announcing One Simple Wish's $100,000 Education Wish Fund! This month, in lieu of our scholarship program, we will be granting $100,000 in wishes to help individuals impacted by foster care further their education. Examples of wishes: Tuition for 2/4 year schools Certification & trade schools Educational equipment Wishes can be submitted by any approved Community Partner, which include advocates, social workers, teachers and more. For more information, email us at info@onesimplewish.org (no DMs, please)

Please listen!

Is your company looking for a meaningful, easy-to-setup way to give back this holiday season? Consider granting wishes to kids impacted by foster care and crisis with a One Simple Wish Giving Page! Giving Pages are great for team building yet don't require lots of logistics and coordination. They are perfect for companies of all sizes and industries! Giving Pages allow you to see the ongoing impact of your kindness in real time and help tons of kids have the best holiday ever. Set up takes minutes. The impact lasts a lifetime. To find out more about Giving Pages, please email danielle@onesimplewish.org

I don't have any great words of wisdom but in times when I feel lost, anxious or hurt, helping someone else always makes me feel a little better. Is that selfish? Maybe. But I think it's also beautiful to channel your discomfort into someone else's joy. If you're looking for a distraction, a boost or just a kind thing to do today, please consider granting a wish at https://hubs.ly/Q02WNS8l0 I'm still sick, and still doing the best I can to rest while still looking out for this mission that means the world to me. We are so glad you're here. ;DG

It is never ok to be a bully. Jamal is 16 and has been bounced around from home to home. He's never had many clothes or shoes and always wears hand-me-down clothing, sometimes those that don't quite fit. Because of this and his speech issues, he has been the target of teasing and bullying for a long time. Making friends has always been difficult. This is a child who loves to volunteer, especially helping the elderly and those in his church. He plays basketball and is a supportive member of the team. He is a bright, kind young man who doesn't deserve this kind of treatment. No one does. His advocate submitted a wish to One Simple Wish for new, "cool" basketball shoes after he lost nearly everything in Hurricane Helene. Lately, One Simple Wish has received so many wishes from kids bullied or teased relentlessly in school. This seems to be a growing trend despite what appears to be an increase in awareness and anti-bullying campaigns. Experiencing foster care, poverty, or crisis is hard enough for kids. It's hard to imagine them enduring this cruelness in their schools, too. Many of us are feeling the harsh reality of increased division. At One Simple Wish, we believe it's possible—and imperative—that we come together. Especially for the kids. In the darkest times, fear can feel paralyzing. But acts of kindness can liberate us. We hope you'll consider granting a wish today at https://hubs.ly/Q02WtHWc0. It's the boost of goodness we all need right now.

Jamil spent years in foster care while his mom battled health issues, and his father was incarcerated. Upon his release, Jamil was reunited with his father and has been working hard to support his family. An avid reader, runner, sports enthusiast, and traveler, Jamil is passionate about learning and growth. Now in his final semester of college, Jamil is balancing his studies while living off-campus. His advocate shared his wish for an iPad with One Simple Wish and it was granted earlier this month. Like many wishes, Jamil's iPad is a game-changer. It will provide him with the tools he needs to access online resources, complete assignments, and stay connected with his professors and future employers. Jamil wanted us to share this sweet note of thanks with this beautiful community: "Thank you so much to this amazing donor for giving me this wonderful gift. You are a big reason my final semester is going to be successful now and you are helping me reach that graduation finish line! I appreciate it so much!" There are currently so many awesome wishes like Jamil's waiting to be granted at https://hubs.ly/Q02VFw1v0. Check them out & see how you can spread some love, hope, and joy!

Look what granting a wish can do! 18-year-old Oceana is passionate about helping others. After spending years in foster care, she's now in an independent living program and pursuing a service animal training internship. Earlier this month, an amazing wish granter granted her wish for a grooming table so that she could continue her studies. Oceana's dream is to train service dogs for soldiers, inspired by her love for the military. Thanks to this wish come true, she's on her way! You can grant a wish for someone like Oceana! To see all the wishes waiting to be granted from individuals impacted by foster care and crisis, visit https://hubs.ly/Q02VxMpn0

Look at this smile! This past February, we shared Kay's Big Wish for extensive dental work. She was in so much pain, she was unable to eat, and she was facing multiple root canals, extractions and a bridge. By donating towards this wish, you all granted her wish in record time. Kay sent us this beautiful thank you note, and we wanted to be sure to share it with you since it was this community of collective kindness that made this wish come true: “I’m so thankful for the support I received for my dental work. Before the treatment, eating was really painful, and I had to avoid a lot of foods because my tooth was so sensitive. I also had a hole in my tooth that was constantly at risk of infection, which was stressful and made me anxious about my health. Thanks to the help I received, I no longer feel pain when I eat, and the hole has been completely fixed. The infection is gone, and I don’t have to worry about it coming back. This has made such a big difference in my life. I feel more confident now, less stressed about my health, and I can enjoy eating without discomfort. I’m incredibly grateful for the support and how much it has improved my daily life.” Right now, there are so many more beautiful wishes from individuals impacted by foster care & crisis just waiting to be granted by someone like you. Visit https://hubs.ly/Q02TXDFm0 and send a smile today!

It's been a little over 2 weeks since our family said goodbye to Lucy. She was the 3rd dog we lost in less than 18 mos. Her diagnosis was sudden & her illness spread much faster than we expected. In the days after, I wasn't sure my heart would ever be ready to risk loving again. What's more, I wasn't sure I deserved to. Ever since I was a little kid, there's been a part of me that felt a bit responsible for all the bad things that happen. And, not just the ones that happen to me but the ones that happen around me. Like when my father's anger would take over, when my mom left, when my boyfriend hit me and even when people I loved got sick or passed away. As I've gotten older (& embraced therapy), I've begun realizing that not all of these hard, tragic things are my fault. I'm also starting to allow myself to feel & enjoy...joy. But it's still a tough one. When I took my daughters to the animal shelter recently & was handed the most adorable little dog, I felt like it wasn't right for me to take her home. After all, she didn't necessarily need to be saved. She's small, housebroken & fluffy. She'd have a million adoption applications & surely someone else deserved her more than me. I know this kind of thinking can also be common for so many of the beautiful humans One Simple Wish is here for. The simple act of wishing is not only hard, but it can also feel wrong. Fancy shoes on your friends? That makes sense. They're lovely people you care about & they deserve nice things that make them feel good. Fancy shoes for yourself? That's overindulging. In the beginning, the wishes sent to One Simple Wish were often more needs based. As we've grown & encouraged our advocates to empower kids to ask for what they want & for the things they love, we've been delighted to see the wishes change into truer representations of joy. There is so much beauty, power & peace in learning to expect & accept that you are a person who deserves the things you most want. Every day you remind our kids that they are also the lovely people that are cared about. Thanks for reminding me too. ;DG Visit https://hubs.ly/Q02TNlPw0 to see the wishes waiting to be granted right now.

You amaze us every day. Please keep telling people their wishes matter because they really do. We are so glad you're here.