Alberta Wish Trail Ride Community and Corporate Support The Alberta Wish Ride rides into its seventh year in 2015

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1 Alberta Wish Trail Ride Community and Corporate Support The Alberta Wish Ride rides into its seventh year in 2015 raising money for the Children s Wish Foundation of Canada to support Alberta children and their families. The event continues to gain more enthusiastic supporters each year. In 2015 we are returning to the Historic Reesor Ranch and offering a new location in Taber, AB. Because we keep expenses to a minimum through donations and other support, we maximize our contribution to the charity. We have donated over $200,000 to the Children s Wish Foundation of Canada in the past six years. The events are run by a dedicated group of volunteers who share the passion of helping children, love of the outdoors and western values. We re looking for community minded organizations who would like to offer their support to this great cause. Our Story The Alberta Wish Ride volunteer group is led by Irene White and Roger Matas. The events are modelled after a ride started by Irene s parents, Shirley and Walter, in Kelowna in They inspired many other communities and the BC Wish Trail Rides became the Children s Wish Foundation s #1 fund-raiser in British Columbia. Irene and Roger brought the event to Alberta and with the help of a great committee of volunteers put a unique Alberta stamp on it. Each event attracts about 75 riders and 25 volunteers. We reach a great many more, however, due to media reports, social media, community connections and word of mouth. As the ride grows, our exposure, and the exposure of our supporters will grow even more. The Alberta Wish Ride, through Irene and Roger, was nominated for a Western Legacy Award from the Calgary Stampede in The nomination was a

2 strong recognition and validation of the difference they and their rides are making in the community. They were finalists in their catagory of innovation. Other groups also support the ride over the year. In 2014 proceeds from the Boogie in the Badlands car show were donated to the Alberta Wish Ride Events Each of the Alberta Wish Rides is planned and executed by a local committee of volunteers who are responsible for hosting the event and making all the arrangements. One such committee, led by Leslie Olson, will host a ride in Taber on August 22nd. Leslie has fully embraced the Wish Ride principle of looking for community support to keep expenses as low as possible while still providing a top notch experience for the riders. She is looking for local businesses and organizations to help with the event and hope to make a significant contribution to the foundation from the proceeds. The second ride of 2015 will take place at the historic Reesor Ranch on the Alberta- Saskatchewan border on September 12th. This is the fourth year for the ride at this location and hosts Theresa and Scott Reesor have a great event planned. Operating as a guest ranch and B&B since 1991, Scott, Theresa and their family enjoy sharing this unique treasure in the Cypress Hills with their guests. Both events will feature rides through picturesque terrain, prizes, a silent auction and refreshments. There will be a draw for a saddle at each event. Riders receive one ticket in the draw for each $25 in pledges they bring in.

3 Our Wish and Invitation to You Our wish is to never deny an eligible child their heart-felt desire. With each passing year the demands placed on wish granting continue to escalate. Issues related to the increasing sophistication of requests, associated costs that continue to rise and the growing number of referrals, challenge Children s Wish Foundation stakeholders to keep pace. The average wish cost is $10,000. Our events try to help that need and help Alberta children. To do that, we need to keep our costs as low as possible, while still maintaining an attractive and rewarding experience for our participants. We invite you to help us by providing product or monetary support. Sponsors are recognized on our web site, through signage at the event and by announcements. Top level sponsors are identified on the web site with logo placement. We will work with you to add value to your participation and look for ways to increase the activation level of your contribution. Significant contributions can be recognized as supporting a part of the day such as the pancake breakfast, dinner or entertainment. We are willing to make ourselves available to provide a presentation to your group or staff about the event and the foundation. We will also provide regular reports of the activities of our volunteer team and provide a final report on the success of the event. Your support will not only help us put on a great event and support Alberta children and their families at a difficult time in their lives, but will also provide some great exposure for your organization and show your staff and your customers you are a community minded corporate citizen. The participants and their families represent an important buying group and the trail ride event will provide you with many exposure opportunities. As you can see, the Children s Wish Foundation supports this initiative and looks forward to your support. Thank you in advance for your consideration. If you have any questions, please contact Irene White at the coordinates shown below. We will also follow up with you to see if there is any further information we can provide.

4 The Children s Wish Foundation The Children s Wish Foundation of Canada is a grassroots charity dedicated to providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience to children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. Established in 1984 on the kitchen table of an inspired and committed volunteer,children s Wish has grown into a national organization with chapters in every province. The Alberta/Northwest Territories chapter office is located in Calgary with subchapters located in Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Cold Lake and Yellowknife. The Alberta group has granted more than 1,400 wishes for children and their families and currently fulfill more than 120 wishes annually. Each wish is an individual adventure, carefully structured to meet the needs of each particular child. Once a child is referred to Children s Wish and the case medically approved, the child is asked to make an important decision. What would bring him or her greatest happiness? For many children, the process of narrowing down the possibilities to one wish can be the most exciting part of the Wish Recipient Trevor wish experience. They can choose literally any wish imaginable, without regard to cost or logistics, provided their health and safety is not jeopardized. For a child whose wish is about to be granted, the pain and discomfort of the illness and often harsh treatment regimes somehow become more bearable. The excitement of planning and anticipating their dream has a dramatic effect on the healing of many children. These courageous youngsters often experience a renewed sense of energy and hope as they see a different kind of light at the end of the tunnel. A wish is a temporary relief and much-needed distraction from the endless procession of doctor s visits, tests, reports, treatments and hospital stays. A wish is about precious time with family -- planning, enjoying or reflecting on the special magic of the moments. I will never, never forget the day we received the phone call that confirmed Trevor would be granted a wish. It was possibly the most emotional day we ever had! says Trevor s mom Pam. As more children survive life-threatening illnesses, a wish can also be about memories, pictures and videos the family will treasure for a lifetime, sometimes in the absence of the child.

5 Dear Friend of The Children s Wish Foundation, January 27, 2015 The Children s Wish Foundation is very pleased to partner with the Alberta Wish Trail Ride. In just six years this group of volunteers has raised $200,000 to support Alberta children and their families. This summer will mark the seventh event and, although fairly new to Alberta, the Wish Trail Ride has been raising funds for children with life-threatening illnesses for over 20 years in other provinces! What started as a group of people who shared love of horses and kids has grown into a multi-province event with rides in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Irene White heads up the Alberta committee with her husband Roger Matas and their passion for the cause and raising funds is evident. Irene has an inspiring outlook on life and has chosen to partner with Children s Wish because of a personal connection to our mission and a belief in the importance of our work. We are extremely excited to be working with Alberta Wish Trail Ride and collaborating on this incredible undertaking. Your support on this initiative is critical to its success and we greatly appreciate your involvement. The Children s Wish Foundation has been granting the special wishes of children suffering with lifethreatening illnesses for 30 years and we have never denied an eligible child their wish. We have been able to grant wishes to over 21,000 children across Canada and over 1,800 in Alberta. As wish requests become more sophisticated and the number of children we serve increases, so does the need for funds. The average cost of a wish is $10,000 and our goal is to grant 130 wishes this year. Without the vision and support of people like Irene and her committee, our work would not be possible. To discuss opportunities for involvement please contact Irene at Irene@albertawishride.ca or If you have any questions about The Children s Wish Foundation, please feel free to contact our office at With Warmest Wishes, Elisha Jackson Manager, Resource Development, Alberta and Northwest Territories