Mission
Candle Wishes celebrates life and shares the love of Jesus Christ by joining hands with communities to give children in need happy birthdays.What We Do
Candle Wishes is a Christian faith based 501(c)(3) non-profit that fulfills birthday wishes and provides essential needs for underprivileged children in Rutherford County, Tennessee and Phoenix, Arizona. Candle Wishes serves 700 needy children in Rutherford County each year.The work of Candle Wishes is performed solely by volunteers. Daily operations are overseen by Founder and Executive Director Jenny Williams in Tennessee and Kristy Morgan in Arizona. A Board of Directors, comprised of area business people and community volunteers, assists in setting policies for Candle Wishes, orchestrates fund-raising opportunities, and provides hands-on assistance at monthly parties. Hundreds of volunteers from churches, schools, community groups, and businesses contribute their time and finances each year to sponsor children and host monthly parties.
Groups or individuals are solicited each month to sponsor the birthday children and purchase gifts and basic clothing needs for them. The sponsors are given a wish list, supplied by their child's caregiver, to help them in purchasing the gifts. The gifts are given to the children at a monthly birthday party where they and their families are treated to dinner and birthday cake and enjoy birthday games and activities. Various organizations and groups host these monthly birthday parties. Participating children, ages 1 to 12, are identified through the Salvation Army's approved list of Angel Tree families and through recommendations from school guidance counselors, social workers, and other philanthropic organizations.
In addition to fulfilling children's birthday wishes, Candle Wishes strives to provide useful resources for struggling families. By connecting families with agencies that provide free health care, churches that nurture spiritual needs, and organizations that meet personal care needs, Candle Wishes works toward its mission of positively impacting the lives of children in need. Candle Wishes aims to emulate Christ's love by making life better for children and their families in every way it can.