Make-A-Wish® creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.  A wish gives children renewed energy and strength, brings families closer together and unites communities.  Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 285,000 wishes to children in the U.S. and its territories; more than 15,300 in 2016 alone.

Make-A-Wish Colorado recently granted 8 year old, Ryland, his wish to meet an alligator!  Despite living in a landlocked state, this Colorado kid's favorite animal is the alligator. His wish took him and his family to Florida to have a special alligator-filled vacation experience!

Ryland jetted off to the Everglades, where he and the crew spent the afternoon whizzing through the water, scoping out gators and other wildlife. They even caught a 100-pound crocodile that had never been captured before for weighing and measuring! The biologist in charge let Ryland name the critter; so, naturally, he named it Ryland, before discovering it was a girl and changed the name to Rylanda! “My wish came true and even more!” Ryland gushed after the tour was over.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Ryland but he’s pretty sure he’ll go back to Florida one day to visit Rylanda, making him one of the few people who can say “see you later, alligator,” and really mean it!

Together as a running community, we have the power to transform lives just like Ryland's, one wish at time. 

You can support Make-A-Wish by making a donation today.