On Wednesday, the Disneyland Resort hosted a Wishes Assemble event for 40 Make-A-Wish Kids and their families. Disney did this in collaboration with MrBeast, Make-A-Wish, and other creators. It continued a longtime partnership between The Walt Disney Company and Make-A-Wish. This is a partnership that Disney has shown is important to it through the years. Throughout the world, every day and every hour sees a Disney wish being granted somewhere. This adds up to over 175,000 wishes throughout this 45+ year partnership. On Wednesday, recently retired Disney CEO Bob Iger was given the inaugural WishMaker Lifetime Achievement Award by Make-A-Wish.
The honor was given to Iger by Leslie Motter, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America. It was given in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to Make-A-Wish. During his time leading Disney, the company helped grant over 110,000 wishes. In the last year alone, Disney provided $30 million of support to the organization.
“Something truly special happens when communities come together with one shared vision: to bring joy to wish kids in ways that surpass even their greatest imagination,” shared Leslie Motter, Make-A-Wish America President and CEO. “The smiles on those children’s faces when their wish comes to life — there’s nothing like it. And none of it happens without the commitment of incredible supporters like Disney, MrBeast, and more. These are the moments that families will carry with them forever, helping shape what they believe is possible. We are beyond grateful for everyone who made Wishes Assemble a reality.”
Disney and Make-A-Wish have a relationship that dates back to the first official wish kid: Frank “Bopsy” Salazar. Disney joined a brand new Make-A-Wish Foundation in 1981 to help grant their first official wish, which was a trip to Disneyland for the 7-year-old Bopsy. This one wish has grown into thousands of wishes granted each year by Disney. Visiting a Disney theme park continues to be one of the most requested wishes for Make-A-Wish America.
Disney is the largest wish-granter for Make-A-Wish. A big part of this is because of the leadership of Bob Iger throughout the course of his tenure as CEO. This legacy continues as wishes are granted around the world hourly each day. Join Daps Magic in congratulating Bob Iger for receiving this well-deserved honor.
