Make-A-Wish® Canada

The first Make-A-Wish® Canadian Chapter was established in B.C. in 1983 after Nigel Brown and Robb Lucy saw a news item about the launch of Make-A-Wish® in the United States. So enthusiastic about making wishes come true for children in Canada, Nigel and Robb established a small committee of friends, got permission to use the Make-A-Wish name, and set out to grant their first wish.

Vancouver Children’s Hospital referred Nigel and Robb to a 13-year old girl named Debbie, with leukemia, who wished to visit her grandparents in Germany. Nigel paid for Debbie’s trip with his personal credit card and in August, 1983 Debbie and her family went on her wish.

She and her family had a wonderful time re-connecting with one another in Germany. A few months following her return to Canada, Debbie passed away. With the heart-warming completion of their first wish, the small group of friends recruited more friends and soon the first Chapter of Make-A-Wish in Canada was off and running.

Today, thousands of wishes have been granted to children across Canada. Since 1983, regional Chapters have been established in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, London, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax, with a division office in Toronto.