Small Business Spotlight - January 2026: Make-A-Wish Missouri and Kansas
Company Name: Make-A-Wish Missouri and Kansas 
Person in Charge (and title): Caroline Schmidt, President and CEO
Year founded: 1983 in Springfield, MO
Tell us about the history of your business:
Make-A-Wish was founded on a simple yet powerful idea: that a wish can change a child’s life. The organization was inspired in 1980 by Chris Greicius, a 7-year-old boy battling leukemia whose wish to become a police officer came true through the efforts of a caring community in Arizona. Chris’s joy and renewed strength sparked a movement, showing the world that granting a wish could bring hope, resilience, and healing to children facing critical illnesses.
Just three years later, that same spirit of compassion took root locally. Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas was founded in 1983 in Springfield, Missouri, becoming one of the early chapters dedicated to carrying this mission forward in our region. Since our inception, we have been honored to grant more than 10,750 life-changing wishes to children across Missouri and Kansas.
For more than four decades, our chapter has remained committed to the belief that a wish is more than a moment of happiness - it is a powerful experience that can restore hope, build emotional strength, and uplift entire families during some of their most challenging times.
Describe the services your organization provides and what makes you unique:
Make-A-Wish grants life-changing wishes for children diagnosed with critical illnesses, serving as a source of hope, strength, and joy for both the child and their family. Each wish is thoughtfully designed around the child’s heartfelt desire - whether it’s traveling to a dream destination, meeting a hero, receiving a special gift, or creating a meaningful experience - and is intended to uplift families during some of their most difficult moments.
As the nation’s largest wish-granting organization, Make-A-Wish operates in all 50 states and more than 45 countries worldwide. Our local Missouri & Kansas chapter serves children across both states, ensuring that eligible children have access to a wish
experience that can make a lasting impact on their physical, emotional, and psychological well-being.
What truly sets Make-A-Wish apart is the proven power of a wish. Research shows that wishes can improve a child’s outlook, strengthen families, and provide renewed optimism during treatment and recovery. That impact, paired with strong community support and stewardship, has helped Make-A-Wish earn recognition as one of the Most Trusted Nonprofits in America for the past three consecutive years.
At its heart, Make-A-Wish is about more than granting wishes - it’s about bringing communities together to deliver hope when it’s needed most, and creating moments that remind children and families that they are not alone.
Tell us something people might not know about your organization:
One thing many people may not realize is just how great the need is right here in our own communities. Right now, our local chapter has more than 575 children waiting for their wish; nearly 100 of those children living in southwest Missouri alone.
Each of those children has already been diagnosed with a critical illness and is waiting for a moment of joy, hope, and strength during a very challenging time. While wishes often make headlines once they’re granted, there is a growing number of children quietly waiting behind the scenes - relying on the generosity of donors, volunteers, and community partners to help make their wish possible.
This ever-growing pipeline is a powerful reminder that Make-A-Wish is not a “once in a while” organization. The need is constant, and so is the impact. Every wish granted today helps ensure another child doesn’t have to wait longer than necessary for the life-changing power of a wish.
Best Business Advice:
Our best advice is simple: lead with purpose and people.
At Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas, everything we do is powered by relationships. Donors, volunteers, partners, and community members who believe in something bigger than themselves.
When you invest in your community, listen with intention, and show up with authenticity, the impact extends far beyond any single transaction.
We’ve seen time and time again that when people rally around a shared purpose, extraordinary things happen. Businesses thrive not just because of what they sell, but because of the values they stand for and the lives they transform along the way.
No matter your industry, find ways to give back, lift others up, and use your influence for good. When purpose leads the way, success naturally follows - and together, we can transform the lives of those who need it most.