In a first-of-its kind agreement with Make-A-Wish Canada, Blue Cross — a long-time supporter of wish granting efforts — will help grant over 6,000 new travel wishes to over 26,000 wish kids and their families over the next five years. This gift-in-kind pledge will provide much-needed travel insurance so that wish kids and their families can enjoy worry-free travel, and marks the largest gift ever committed to Make-A-Wish Canada. 

“World Wish Day is the annual Make-A-Wish event that recognizes the history of granting life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses,” said Meaghan Stovel McKnight, CEO, Make-A-Wish Canada. “This year’s World Wish Day is extra special thanks to this transformational, in-kind gift announcement from Blue Cross which will allow us to begin granting international travel wishes beyond the U.S. for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.”

2023 also marks the 40^th anniversary of Make-A-Wish in Canada, a legacy that Blue Cross has been a part of for the last three decades.

“By 2027, we will have supported over 130,000 wish kids and their families,” said Tim Bishop, Managing Director, Blue Cross of Canada. “Every child should have the opportunity to experience the wonder of travel, and this pledge reinforces our ongoing commitment to Make-A-Wish Canada. We look forward to continuing to make travel wishes a reality and supporting this wonderful organization for years to come.” 

Approximately 70 per cent of all granted wishes through Make-A-Wish Canada involve some form of travel, and this donation allows Make-A-Wish Canada to fulfill even more wishes in British Columbia over the next five years:  

• 102 travel wishes have been granted and booked for children with critical illness in British Columbia and Yukon from October 1, 2022, to date. 619 wishes of all kinds are pending in this region.
• The total number of travel wishes either completed or booked across Canada from October 1, 2022, to date is 664.
• The total number of wishes of all kinds pending across Canada is 4,084.

 Wish kid Zoeya recently returned from her wish to go to Walt Disney World and her family’s travel insurance was covered by Blue Cross. 

“Zoeya’s had a long recovery from leukemia. Knowing we had travel insurance in place allowed us to relax and focus on our kids, who couldn’t stop smiling for the entire week!”, said wish mom Faiza.

With pandemic restrictions lifted, Blue Cross and Make-A-Wish Canada are thrilled to resume granting international travel wishes - beyond Canada and the U.S. - starting on April 29, World Wish Day.

“We are incredibly excited about the enduring power of this partnership,” said McKnight. “An in-kind gift of this magnitude helps to remove uncertainty from the wish granting process and takes care of a significant operational cost associated with granting wishes involving travel. Being able to say ‘yes!’ to international travel wishes again is a significant milestone is our pandemic recovery plan, and we are incredibly grateful to Blue Cross for their commitment and generosity.”