spread joy & Empower a Wish

EmpowHer works with One Simple Wish, an online platform that raises awareness of the foster care system and empowers us to spread love, hope, and joy to individuals impacted by foster care by granting their wishes. Once you submit your wish and it is approved, your wish will be granted.  Remember, it can take as little as 3 to 45 days.  We do our best to honor time-sensitive wishes, ie, Birthdays. Referrals from EmpowHER's Community Agency Partners will be considered first.

*Note: We will also consider wishes for families in crisis. However, each wish is approved on a case-by-case basis and requires additional documentation for verification.

Once the wish is approved, the average timeframe is 15 days. However, depending on the wish, it can take up to 45 days.   

Children and young adults who have been impacted by the child welfare system, including those who have already aged out of foster care and other young people in underserved communities or in crisis.   What is considered a ciris? Families affected by a natural disaster, homelessness, etc.

NO!

It is extremely important to us that we grant wishes for EXACTLY what has been requested. Advocates who submit wishes include a link or details to the specific item or service requested, and we use that as the base price for the wish. 

Yes, these wishes usually fall within the Big Wish category.  They are typically reserved for foster children or aged-out foster children.

Wishes that exceed the $500 limit on our traditional wish-granting platform. These wishes are typically for critical needs, housing support, educational expenses, car repairs and other larger expenses. 

It is important to us that wish limitations are kept to a minimum and that the children and young adults are able to select the wish that they have identified will bring them hope, joy & love. If you feel that you have a wish that may fall outside these general rules feel free to contact us for further discussion.

As a general rule, wishes for the following will not be approved:

• Wishes with an original price that exceeds $425. We have a Big Wish program that may be able to address these. 
• Wish forms that are incomplete, lack detail, do not follow our suggested format, or require significant edits (this includes using all caps or extra characters due to copy/paste from a Word doc).
• Wishes for items from more than one vendor or for more than one recipient.
• More than 3 wishes for the same recipient at one time.
• Wishes that require reimbursement to be fulfilled.
• Wishes for Visa/Amex/Giftly Gift cards (must be to a specific store that sells gift cards online);
• Wishes for checks made out to the child or child's family (checks will only be filled directly to a vendor).
• We typically don't grant wishes to help pay rent unless their are extenuating circumstances. These wishes are typically reserved for aging out foster children. Documentation must be provided and will be heavily reviewed.

If the contact address is a PO Box, an alternate delivery address will need to be provided for items larger than an envelope. If the request is for lessons, tickets, or something besides a standard item, please provide the name and address for payment within the Private Wish Notes.

NOTE: Thank you notes are a required part of our Wish Granting program. EmpowHER expected to send a thank you note for the Wish Granter from either themselves or the child a wish was granted for. After you wish is granted, we will contact you to submit a thank you note.

For New Jersey residents, Contact 211 is a statewide, free, and confidential information and referral service that connects individuals and families with vital community resources for health, emergency, and human services. It operates 24/7 via a hotline and online directory. Visit their website, at nj211.org,