All smiles help make a dream come true.

• Author: Kinder, Peri

Tomas, 8, wanted to go to Hawaii. Twelve-year-old Gracie was hoping for a Disney cruise. Marky, 7, dreamed of owning an Army jeep. And 4-year-old Brycen wanted to have his own baseball field. These wishes, and many more, have been granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah through partnerships with businesses and organizations.

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Make-A-Wish provides these gifts to children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 years who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. Wishes cover a broad spectrum of choices from exotic trips to meeting celebrities to becoming an astronaut. The foundation is able to assist these children because Utah businesses are willing to raise money and become wish-makers.

Katherine Fife, director of marketing and development for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah, says the organization usually grants three or four wishes every week, but between April and June 2011, the foundation granted 51 wishes--a record number for the Zb-year-oia organization.

"It's good and it's bad," Fife says. "We're glad we're able to help so many children, but we don't want these kids to have to be sick."

In order for a child to receive a Make-A-Wish gift, they must be referred to the organization. The parents and doctor of the child are contacted for more information, and to confirm that the child has a life-threatening illness. Fife says there's a misconception that all of the children who receive wishes are terminally ill. In fact, many of the children show an increase in recovery once they know they will be receiving a wish.

"The power of a wish is amazing;' Fife says. "It gives [the kids] something to fight for, something to distract them from all the medical [procedures] they have to go through. We feel like we're helping a child get through a really tough time."

Making the Magic

Most wishes cost an average of $5,000 in cash and an additional $3,000 of in-kind donations from businesses or community organizations. Granting four wishes each week really adds up, and Fife says donations to the foundation are the lifeblood of the Make-A-Wish program.

The Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center (KOPFC) was looking for a way to get involved with a service project, one that could include the scores of employees that work for the facility. Steve Cook, director of marketing for KOPFC, says the Make-A-Wish Foundation seemed like the perfect fit.

For 13 years, KOPFC has helped provide wishes for local children using the...