The wishes of twelve Utah children will come true thanks to the efforts of the ARO team. Make-A-Wish Utah partnered with Dan’s Fresh Market, Lin’s Market, Dick’s Market, Fresh Market and Macey’s in June to raise money to grant wishes for Utah kids diagnosed with critical illnesses. 

The stores raised $81, 810.88, all of which was donated to Make-A-Wish Utah. The donation will be presented during a special check presentation at Macey’s Olympus.  

Macey’s Olympus was the top selling store, they raised almost $9,000. Cashiers at Lin’s Cedar, Price, Macey’s Holladay and Dick’s Market Centerville received the most donations and won various prizes.  

Guests at the stores helped with the donation. During June, guests were invited to donate by purchasing a star icon. The icons, many with the names of loved ones written on them by store guests, were displayed in the stores. The stores also sold star-shaped doughnuts and all proceeds went directly to Make-A-Wish Utah. Many stores found additional ways to encourage donations.  

Throughout the donation period, several kids who recently had their wishes granted visited the grocery stores where they were celebrated by the store teams. The kids were given gift baskets and allowed to try out different grocery store jobs – including cashier and cake decorator. 

Candice Fischer, Director of Customer Management, shared how much this event means to the team, “Our team members love partnering with Make-A-Wish. Many of them have personal experiences with the foundation and being able to give back to them. Great job to successful drive everyone!”