1. By Jameson Van Houten

2.  A graduate of Arizona State
University, Jameson Van Houten, CFP, leads
the Stonegate Financial Group, LLC, as its
CEO and Chief Financial Officer. Active in
community affairs, Jameson Van Houten
enthusiastically supports several
philanthropic organizations, such as Gift of
Life, and sits on the governing board of the
Arizona chapter of the Make-A-Wish
Foundation.

3.  The Arizona chapter employs staff members with job titles
like Wish Support Manager, Wish Manager, and Director of
Wish Delivery. These are the people who transform wishes
into reality. Since its founding in 1980, the Arizona
chapter of Make-A-Wish has granted more than 4,300
wishes to children between the ages of 2 and 18 who have
been diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions.
Many children’s wishes are career oriented; they want to
be firefighters or law enforcement officers or superheroes.
Not all wishes are career oriented, though. Many want to
meet sports and entertainment celebrities, while others
want to visit various locations. One 16-year-old boy with
cancer wished for his 1976 Chevy truck to be restored,
and Margaret, an 18-year-old girl with a serious brain
disorder, wished for a shopping spree to buy electronics
for her hospital unit.

4.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation is the legacy of a
7-year-old boy named Chris Greicius diagnosed
with leukemia, who wanted to be a police officer.
A family friend worked with colleagues in law
enforcement to fulfill Chris’ wish to the best of
their ability, providing him with a custom-made
uniform, a ride in a Department of Public Safety
helicopter, a tour of DPS headquarters, and
honorary membership in the Arizona DPS. The
foundation traces its origins to the fulfillment of
that wish.