Related Information

Jessica’s Wish Story

Jessica, 7, Forest Grove
Wish: to have a play structure

Local Wish Gets Help from The Standard

Jessica, age 7, of Forest Grove, experienced her wish-come-true in July thanks to employees from The Standard who volunteered to build her dream play structure. Jessica qualifies for a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Oregon because she suffers from a life-threatening medical condition, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition that is caused by underdevelopment of the heart.

The Standard, an insurance company that prides itself on local philanthropy, was inspired by local wishes like Jessica’s, and chose to support the Foundation with a generous donation of $5,000 through its Adopt-A-Wish® program. Volunteers from The Standard met at Jessica’s home and worked all day in the heat to build the 7-year-old’s play structure. The team assembled the structure from the ground up and was able to sponsor the entire wish with the contribution of cash and volunteer hours.

“I have kids, and I know that if I were in a situation like Jessica’s family, I’d want people to help us out,” said volunteer Ami Redfern from The Standard. “It’s great to see something like this wish come together. We all work together, but didn’t really know each other until this project. This experience has made me realize that, in a sense, strangers can come together to help and really make a difference.”

Although Jessica’s activity is often limited due to her heart condition, she still loves the outdoors, soccer, football, baseball, and playing with her friends. Now that Jessica’s wish has come true, she can swing, slide, rope-climb, and hang off her monkey bars without a care in the world. When asked what her favorite part of the wish was, Jessica replied, “All of it. I love it all. It’s so great!”