This has been a very busy year at The Rainbow Connection as we continue to meet with wish children, plan their wishes and get to see their dreams come true! So far in 2021, 113 wishes have been granted and we are looking forward to granting another 40 wishes before the end of the year!

At The Rainbow Connection (TRC), our focus is on the wish children and their families, each child’s special wish and our ability to make them come true. Once in a lifetime wishes give children the ability to dream the impossible! Since we began this mission, no child in need of a wish has ever been turned away or made to wait.

On the left hand side of our Wish Wall, you can see pictures of all the pending wishes. Of the wishes that are pending, it is important to us that these children are not waiting on us. When they are ready for their wish, the Wish Department is ready to make it happen! Like Emily, age 17, who wishes to go on a tropical beach vacation with her family! She has decided not to book her wish yet due to COVID restrictions and has been very busy volunteering with TRC in the meantime. Zachary, age 5, is also waiting to decide on his wish until he is done with treatment. This gives him something to look forward and dream about during difficult days at the hospital.

In the center of the Wish Wall, you can see pictures of all the kiddos that have their wishes booked. Lawson, age 4, is going to Disney World right after Christmas! He is so excited to meet his friend Mickey Mouse.  Carson, age 5 is also going to Disney World in May of 2022 and can’t wait to pose with superheroes at Universal Studios.

On the right hand side, you can see pictures of all the wish children who have received a wish since January of this year! Ashley was finally able to go to Disney World this past month. Side effects from her treatment made it difficult to walk and her muscles were weak.  She eventually lost the ability to walk and put her wish on hold while she went through physical therapy. Four years later, she celebrated her wish with her family and was able to walk through every park at Disney World!

To see more wish stories and learn about TRC, follow us on Facebook @rainbowconnectionmichigan

The Rainbow Connection (TRC) has been granting wishes for Michigan children with life threatening medical conditions since 1985. Although a lot has changed over the 36 years since the organization began, the magic of a wish continues to provide hope and joy to wish children.

In addition to fulfilling a wish, TRC is proud to offer an Enhancement Program that provides families with support and fun activities as they continue to experience hardships. This includes tickets to a Detroit Tigers game, a Lion’s training camp, the Armada Fair, the Michigan State Fair, and more! These are all fun-filled free experiences for the entire family.

This summer, wish families were able to attend a Tigers game and a Lions Training Day! The Detroit Tigers donated a total of 450 tickets to TRC wish children and family members. The Detroit Lions Training Day let families see the Lions practice close up, participate in family friendly activities and root for their Detroit Lions!

Thanks to a partnership with Urban Air in Utica, every Tuesday, a wish family is able to receive exclusive access to the venue, t-shirts and food! Urban Air has trampolines, zip lines, bumper cars, rock climbing and more! This is the perfect opportunity for wish families to get out of the house, let off some steam, and PLAY!

Finally, we were able to provide both Michigan State Fair and Armada Fair tickets to our wish families. The Armada Fair hosted one wish family each day and provided free access, food and celebrity status! The Michigan State Fair provide 250 tickets for wish families which included a wrist band for full access to all of the carnival rides.

A huge thank you to all of the amazing organizations for providing opportunities for our wish families to spend quality time and create fun memories together. To learn more about The Rainbow Connection, follow us on Instagram @rainbowconnectionmichigan

Each year, current and former Rainbow Connection wish children can apply for a $1,000 scholarship for up to four years as they pursue a post high school education.   With the support from the Four County Community Foundation, TRC was able to provide funding for one of our 2021 wish child applicants who lives in Oxford, Michigan.  This scholarship not only decreases the financial burden of education for young adults and their families, but also supports our wish children as they look to serve the community in the future.

Gibson, from Oxford, MI, was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) during his first semester as a freshman in high school. He ended up graduating 6th in his class, completing the IB Diploma program, and he also earned the Seal of Biliteracy for Spanish. Gibson finished up his cancer treatment weeks before graduating high school and was able to go on his wish trip that summer. TRC sent him on his dream trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone! He went on private tours which helped him accomplish his biggest goal of the trip, seeing bears, bison, bighorn sheep and more! After that once in a lifetime experience, Gibson started his next journey at Kettering University where he is currently pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering.

TRC is incredibly grateful to the Four County Community Foundation for their support of our wish children like Gibson. We look forward to continuing our Scholarship Program this year and granting scholarships to more students ready to make their impact in their community.