Since 1985, the Australian arm of the organisation has granted over 8000 wishes to seriously ill children right across the country, giving them strength to face the challenges of their illness, hope for the future, and joy from their incredible wish experience. Wishes are powerful. They are carefully designed to have a positive impact on a child's mental, emotional and physical health.

Initially the wish aids the healing process, however the impact lasts long after the wish itself has been granted.

Indeed the positive effect of a wish realised spreads to not only the child and their family, but the whole community and everyone involved in making the wish come true.

Make-A-Wish Australia is funded solely by donations, and does not receive any government funding. As such, our 317 volunteers from all over metropolitan and regional Victoria form a critical part of our organisation.

From East Gippsland to Mildura and everywhere in between, these special people are working with children and their families to identify the healing wish, and support them through the wondrous wish journey.

At the same time they are tirelessly raising much-needed funds through events and fundraising drives, allowing us to grant more wishes year on year.

On World Wish Day, I'd like to shout out a heartfelt thank you to these selfless individuals for their incredible efforts, and thank the communities that support them. We wouldn't be here without you.

Every day in Australia, six families receive the news that their child has a life-threatening medical condition.

That equates to 2000 children around Australia each year that would benefit from the healing power of a wish.

Our aspirational goal is to be able to grant a wish for every single one of those children; to grant 2000 wishes a year.

That means almost quadrupling the number of wishes we currently grant.

I know that with the help of our amazing volunteers, and the local Victorian communities, together we can reach this goal.

GERARD MENSES

Make-A-Wish Australia CEO