2023 was a spectacular year at The Rainbow Connection!

In 2023, 157 wishes were granted to Michigan children with life threatening illnesses. We are so honored to meet each and every one of these children and see the joy and happiness their wishes provide. We also provided assistance to wish families through our Enhancement Program, Special Response Program and Adopt a Family Program! 

157 Wishes Came True! 

• 107 Disney World wishes!

• 16 travel wishes including Smoky Mountains, Hawaii and more!

• 28 shopping sprees!

• 6 in the “other” category which includes concerts, family photo sessions and meet & greets!

Each wish is unique to the child and provides them something to look forward to during treatments and hospital stays. This year, we even had a wish to go horseback riding at Yellowstone National Park and a wish to visit Savannah, GA for Ghost Tours! 

1,400 wish children and their families were served through our Special Response Program! This included a Winter Coat drive, School Supply drive, grocery gift cards and more! 

“Novalynn’s package came in today and she was in awe when she saw the gloves & hat!! Those colors are her favorites & it’s so soft! The gloves will be perfect for building a snowman. I had to do a double take when I saw the gift card…thank you guys so much!!!”

4,500+ tickets were given out to wish families through the Enhancement Program! This year, we were able to provide tickets to Sesame Street Live, Disney on Ice, Paw Patrol Live, Monster Jam, Detroit Lions Training Camp, the Detroit Auto Show AND MORE! This also includes our Wish Family Holiday Party which occurred at the beginning of December. 100+ families were in attendance and it was a great way to kick off the holiday season!  This program allows us to provide wish families with additional experiences beyond their wish and continue to stay part of The Rainbow Connection family. 

Last but certainly not least, is our Adopt a Family Program! 177 families were adopted for the holiday season this year!! 

This program is possible because of the generosity of our community and donors. So many Michigan families are going to be having a very magical holiday season and that is all thanks to YOU! A wish family shared their appreciation for the Adopt a Family gifts,

“We can’t express how much we appreciate your help. This has been a long road, harder than we imagined. We’re so blessed to be a part of this beautiful, caring community.”