Wishes granted: Horry County police officers spread happiness to Make-A-Wish children
Make-A-Wish kids in the Myrtle Beach area received special parades throughout the Grand Strand during World Wish Day on Wednesday amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Dozens of Horry County Police Department officers and Make-A-Wish volunteers flooded the streets from Surfside to the Myrtle Beach area to say hello to children with critical illnesses and hand out balloons and candy.
“Seeing our community members come together with our volunteers in the midst of a pandemic, making the joy of local kids a priority … it’s inspiring,” said Crystal Alifanow, director of communications for Make-A-Wish South Carolina.
World Wish Day is on April 29, which is the anniversary of the wish that inspired Make-A-Wish to begin in 1980. Wishes are granted for children with critical illnesses. Last year, 209 wishes were granted in South Carolina and 9 percent of those granted wishes were in the Myrtle Beach area.
The average cost of a wish is $7,500, and the first wish ever granted in South Carolina was to go to a “big time” football game. A large portion of wishes are Disney related.
“The aim is so simple — to make kids smile, to make the best days happen even in the midst of the worst — and that’s the beauty of it,” said Mikayla Moskov with HCPD. “Seeing the joy on each of their faces as our HCPD officers arrived on motorcycles and in patrol cars was a true gift.”
