THE RAINBOW SOCIETY OF ALBERTA
Giving the gift of hope by granting wishes for children in Alberta diagnosed with a severe chronic or life-threatening medical illness. We define chronic to mean a medical condition which severely impacts and restricts the child’s activities of daily living. The impact and restrictions may result from a variety of factors including, but not limited to, recurrent hospital stays, use of oxygen and/or ventilator machines, the need to use a wheelchair for mobility, high doses of medications or the need for a considerable degree of medical intervention. Children in our wish program must be between the ages of 3 and 18 years, and any child who has been in remission, or off treatment, for a period exceeding 2 years will not qualify for our program.
The founders of The Rainbow Society believed that children who suffer a lifetime from a chronic illness should also be entitled to a wish, in addition to those who are struggling with a life-threatening condition. It is a sad fact that there are literally hundreds of different types of illnesses that can affect children. This aspect of our mandate sets us apart from similar organizations in Canada. We also differ from other wish granting groups in that we only operate in Alberta and remain a grass-roots organization. We do not provide funding for medical equipment or travel. Our intent is to provide a once in a lifetime experience for our wish children and their families.