You’re never too old to write a letter to Santa — especially when it can help make a wish come true for a keiki battling a life-threatening condition.
Whether you’ve just learned how to write or have been writing for decades, taking the time to jot a note to “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” this holiday season will help grant a local child’s wish to be a starlet for an evening or even visit Disneyland through Make-A-Wish and Macy’s annual “A Million Reasons to Believe” campaign.
“We’re so excited to be able to celebrate wishes throughout the season and be able to say that anybody can make a difference by writing a letter. For a child, for an adult or just about anybody to be able to make a tangible difference with just a letter is great because we don’t have many opportunities like this to take just five minutes to write a letter that raises money for a local charity,” said Siana Austin Hunt, CEO of Make-A-Wish Hawaii, the local chapter of the national foundation.
“What a fun way to celebrate the season, to celebrate wishes, the magic of wishes and to partner with people young and old to make the spirit of Christmas come alive and have that pay forward to make a difference in the life of a local child,” she continued.
Through the campaign, now in its seventh year, Macy’s will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish for every letter received through Christmas Eve, which is Dec. 24. Letters can be submitted online at macys.com/believe or dropped off at the Kailua-Kona, Waikoloa or Hilo Macy’s stores where customers will find a special letterbox. Letters dropped off at the stores must be addressed to Santa at The North Pole.
On Dec. 12, National Believe Day, letters written to Santa will each generate a $2 donation to make a child’s wish come true.
Austin Hunt also encouraged residents to start a letter writing campaign in which a group, workplace or organization can collect letters and submit them to a local Macy’s to raise funds.
In all, the department store chain will donate up to $1 million to the national organization this year. Since the campaign’s inception seven years ago, more than $8.7 million has been raised for the organization, according to Macy’s.
Last year, Austin Hunt said, Macy’s donated $250,000 to Make-A-Wish Hawaii through both the “A Million Reasons to Believe” and “Thanks for Sharing” campaigns. The “Thanks for Sharing” began Sept. 2 and runs through Dec. 31, according to Macy’s.
Every letter written in Hawaii is tracked and generates a donation that stays here to grant the wishes of Hawaii keiki, she said.
“I can confidently say that this money comes right into our local charity,” Austin Hunt added.
Make-A-Wish Hawaii was founded in 1982. It operates on a $4.5 million budget and in January will grant its 1,000th wish to Hawaii children thanks to community support and the help of more than 300 volunteers. In April, the Hawaii organization helped grant the 10,000th out-of-state wish.
The national Make-A-Wish foundation was founded in 1980 in Phoenix after 7-year-old Chris Greicius, who had been diagnosed with leukemia, had his wish to be a police officer granted. Today, the organization grants annually 14,000 wishes of children who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.
For more information on Make-A-Wish Hawaii, including how to become a volunteer or Wish Granter, visit hawaii.wish.org. For details on starting a letter writing cmapaign contact Make-A-Wish Hawaii’s Events and Development Manager Janel Chandler at jchandler@hawaii.wish.org or by calling 537-3118, ext. 112.