World Princess Week came to a close this past week with an appropriately royal celebration designed especially for more than 50 Make-A-Wish kids and their families. The “Once Upon a Wish Party” was the biggest wish-granting event ever held at Walt Disney World! The event celebrated the 150,000th wish (and counting) granted by Disney for children with critical illnesses.
The first occasion of its kind, the Once Upon a Wish Party took place over an entire day and featured a tea party in Wonderland and a spectacular royal ball. Wish kids were proclaimed royalty for the day. Over 30 Disney characters were in attendance, including beloved Disney Princesses and their partners, like Cinderella and Prince Charming, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, Ariel and Eric, Tiana and Naveen, and Jasmine and Aladdin, among many others. As the guests of honor, Make-A-Wish families dined and danced like nobility.
The recipients of this extra-special pixie dust were all children who wished for something related to a Disney Princess, like 8-year-old Lily from Middletown, Delaware who wished for a princess tea party. Receiving wishes like these can make a significant positive impact on children and families facing critical illnesses. For young ones dealing with health challenges, meeting a favorite Disney princess can renew hope and uplift spirits at the time they need it most.
For Lainey, a 5-year-old from Maine with chronic ventilator dependence, coming to World Princess Week seemed like a dream come true. Her wish to attend was granted, and the significance to both Lainey and her family can’t be underestimated.
“This trip means a lot, especially as we’re getting close to our one-year anniversary of when everything happened,” said Lainey’s dad, Brian. “It’s a milestone for us to be able to get out and have some normalcy and do something special together as a family. It feels like the turning of a new chapter for us.”
The statistic is powerful — one out of every two wishes granted in the U.S. through Make-A-Wish has been a Disney wish. Accordingly, the special meaning is not limited to the Make-A-Wish families. The Disney cast members who are involved with wish-granting take exceptional pride in their roles.
“Granting wishes is some of the most important work that we do at Disney,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. “We’re humbled that so many wish kids choose Disney – it’s an honor, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. It tells us what our brand and the Disney experience mean to people.”
Indeed, over 500 Disney cast members from across Disney Parks, Experiences and Products pitched in for over a year to dream up the Once Upon a Wish Party and make it a success. These fairy godparents-in-training assembled special care packages from shopDisney, including Disney Princess dresses, Princess-themed mouse ear headbands, wands, tiaras, and more. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Disney Publishing also provided a treasure trove of Disney books.
“Only at Disney can you make an impact like this,” said Stefanie Steele, Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Walt Disney World. “Our cast members take great pride in Disney being the number one wish in the world, and it has been so inspiring to see the passion everyone is bringing to make sure dreams come true for these families….in a distinctly Disney way, of course.”
A milestone moment took place during the royal ball as the 150,000th Disney wish was granted. It was the result of an over 40-year partnership with Make-A-Wish. Mikayla from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a 17-year-old who has been battling cancer for the last three years, wished to perform at Disney. Her dream came true in extraordinary style as she took the stage to sing “Beauty and the Beast” and “Almost There” for more than 300 invited guests.
“As the number-one wish granter for our organization, Disney is helping deliver joy when it’s needed most,” said Leslie Motter, Make-A-Wish America President & CEO. “Through their stories and characters, Disney is creating unforgettable wish-granting experiences like Once Upon A Wish Party that allow families the space to create happy new memories together that I know will last a lifetime.”
In addition to the party celebrations, families were gifted several days to spend in the theme parks and a stay at Give Kids The World Village, an organization that supports wish-granting efforts at the Walt Disney World Resort. Future similar events are currently in the works for Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in honor of World of Frozen opening this December.
Isn’t it such a delight to see so much joy on the faces of these precious children? To learn more about the longstanding relationship between Make-A-Wish and the Walt Disney Company, visit Wish.org/Disney.
