A child’s wish is granted approximately every 37 to 39 minutes. 

One child. One wish. One huge impact- one life changed forever. 

The Make a Wish Foundation, which was created in November of 1980, is a nonprofit corporation that helps young children with life-threatening diseases or aliments of any kind have the opportunity to have their wish brought to life. 

Mia Littlejohn, the donor care coordinator for Make A Wish, works in Phoenix, Ariz. for the foundation. She explained some of the various components that make this foundation unique.

“We have the National Office, our 62 local chapters, and 38 affiliates internationally,” said Littlejohn. “One thing people do not know about Make-A-Wish is that each chapter is a separate entity. They each have their own Board of Directors [and] CEO.”

Currently, Ashland University’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is attempting to raise $5,000 to donate to Make A Wish. 

In order to reach their goal, SAAC discussed the possibility of having a little “healthy competition” with another university to see who could raise the most money. All money raised from both universities would go to the foundation. Whether or not this is actually going to happen, it is still being discussed.

Senior Zach Bernhard is a Biochemistry major and the President of SAAC as well as the Vice President for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).  He noted how he was able to really take charge and how SAAC has opened a ton of doors for opportunity throughout his college career. 

“Freshman year, Coach Owens needed a [few] representatives; it was one of those deals where nobody wanted to raise their hand or volunteer,” said Bernhard. “Knowing that I wanted to do something on campus, I went ahead and [took initiative]. I saw it as an opportunity to get a leadership position and do something on campus that was positive.”

Whether it means going on a one-week trip to Walt Disney World, meeting Michael Scott from The Office, or even getting to perform the opening pitch in Fenway Park, the sky is the limit for the Make A Wish children. Anything that they want is within reach. One wish is granted per child throughout one’s lifetime. 

Senior Hannah Mattar is a Hospitality Management major and the Vice President of SAAC. She acknowledged how there are numerous charities and organizations AU students have the option to donate to on campus, and that it sometimes may be overwhelming. 

“So many people are doing so many [wonderful] things here on campus, so how do you pick what to donate to? We hope that the student body and athletes get a better understanding of Make A Wish and how they can [personally] make an impact on someone’s life,” Mattar said.

Additionally, Mattar described how the SAAC members are extremely passionate about helping others and that while being a student athlete is often times demanding, there is no better feeling than making a difference in someone’s life. 

“This is a chance for [us as] student athletes to give back to the community,” said Mattar. “We want to be [positive] role models; not just in our sport, but as people. We want to show that we are not just a bunch of jocks; that we are people who want to do good in the 

world,” Mattar said.

To help raise money for Make A Wish, SAAC has been brainstorming ideas that AU students could participate in; such as a corn-hole tournament, a faculty “roast,” available t-shirts for sale, a camp-out on the football field and an awards ceremony similar to ESPN’s “ESPY Awards,” which would celebrate all student athletes with awards given to a variety of players. 

In addition, SAAC was discussing the possibility of bringing former running back Maurice Clarett to AU to speak to students. Bernhard explained how these events could bring everyone closer together as a university.

“There is a lot of divide between the student body and the student-athlete body,” said Bernhard. “I hope that they can see SAAC as something positive [which] breaks that gap. We are going to put on some really cool events for [everyone] and I hope they associate SAAC with Make A Wish in a positive light.”

There is no specific date that has been set for these events yet, although both Bernhard and Matter are very excited about what is to come in the near future and encourage all AU students to attend. If individuals are interested in donating, they can visit wish.org or talk to SAAC members for more information.