The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger Podcast
How Make-A-Wish grants wishes
0:00
Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -19:51
-19:51

How Make-A-Wish grants wishes

Kathy Jetton, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish's local chapter, talks about the nonprofit's impact and importance of creating hope for children and their families

Kathy Jetton has served as the president and CEO of Make-A-Wish of Central and Western North Carolina since October 2020.

Make-A-Wish, a nonprofit with 60 chapters across the nation, grants wishes for children aged 2 to 18 with critical and life-threatening illnesses. Make-A-Wish of Central and Western North Carolina serves 51 counties. In a typical year, the chapter grants around 400 wishes at an average cost of $7,500 per wish.

On this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Ledger managing editor Cristina Bolling sat down with Jetton to talk about Make-A-Wish’s impact across North Carolina and why the work they do is important. Jetton also discusses:

  • The organization’s four wish categories: “I wish to have,” “I wish to meet,” “I wish to go,” and “I wish to be.”

  • Common wishes like Disney trips and meeting celebrities.

  • A touching story about one child’s wish for a boat after her illness became terminal.

  • How Make-A-Wish’s impact extends to the entire family, creating lasting memories during challenging times.

  • The increased cost of wishes, partly due to inflation and the pandemic.

  • The emotions of being in a role like Jetton’s.

  • Common misconceptions about Make-A-Wish.

We hope you enjoy the conversation with Kathy Jetton.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.


Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 4 of our local newsletters:

➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.

➡️ Learn more about The Charlotte Ledger

The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news through e-newsletters and on a website. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.

Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.

Share

Social media: On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Sponsorship information/customer service: email support@cltledger.com.

Discussion about this podcast

The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger Podcast
We talk with Charlotte leaders about important and interesting issues, with an eye toward making you smarter, telling you things you don’t know and introducing you to people with insights about trends in Charlotte.