Love to Make-A-Wish
Through the month of February we’re sending rainbow love to Make-A-Wish Montana. I said “we’re” because I need your help.
The Make-A-Wish Montana chapter was started in 1987 and has granted more than 520 wishes, and this year they are slated to grant 40 more. I’m pretty excited to help make that happen with rainbow power (bands).
I’ll start off by explaining the Powerband, it may seem like nothing more than a knit bracelet, but it harnesses much more magic than meets the eye. When these bands came into fruition 6 years ago, they were created as tools for Kindergarten loveys headed to school, wearing a bit of courage and love from Mamas/Papas.
How do you use a Powerband?
- You wear it and charge it up with your love.
- Put it on (wrist or ankle) your kiddo, friend or loved one, in this case a kiddo with a life-threatening medical condition.
- The recipient has a constant reminder that they are in your thoughts.
All of this means that we need 40 Powerbands by the end of the month! Every single Make-A-Wish MT kid needs that reminder of love, on their being.
You have some options. You can make a powerband, and we’ll send it off to a Make-A-Wish family. If you knit, it is EASY. I generally use scrappy bits of wool I have left over from other projects, soft yarn is preferred & the more colorful, the better.
Use size 8 dpns (5.0mm). Cast on 32 stitches and pass 8 onto each needle (to knit in the round). k2, p2 the entire way around – changing colors for the different powers that need to be incorporated into the band. I typically use 3 rows of each color combo, sometimes combining two strands of yarn at a time. Work until the band is about 1.5-2” in height and cast off. Don’t forget to wear your creation for a bit and charge it up with love before you mail it to us.
If you don’t knit, but would like to send a love band, you can purchase one in our rainbow shop. 100% of all Powerband purchases will be donated this month (both the band itself and the $24).
Or, you can simply click the fundraising link and donate there. We’ve set a goal of $8000 – here is why…
A Disney adventure appeals to a large percentage of Montana wish kids. About 40% are wishes to “meet Mickey Mouse” at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando, Fla., go on a trip to Disneyland®, or sail on a Disney Cruise Line® vacation. About 13% wish to visit Hawaii. Other popular wishes include play sets, campers, celebrity meetings and trips to other sites around the country. A majority of wishes of Montana kids (87%) involve air travel. Make-A-Wish® encourages the entire family to be part of the wish experience, knowing that parents and siblings need magic just as much as the wish child.
The average cash cost of a wish in 2017 was $7,781.
I realize this is a hefty goal, but I’m pretty confident we can muster the love to reach it. xo
