Denton County Giving: Ally's Wish

Some of our Denton County Giving features hit a little closer to home for me, and as someone who lost his mother at a young age, getting to learn more about Ally's Wish and the mission they're on to provide memories and experiences of a lifetime to the families of terminally-ill mothers was truly special to me.

As we met with Co-Founder and President of Ally's Wish, Missy Phipps, she shared with us memories of her friend, Allyson Hendrickson, who the nonprofit is dedicated to and named for.

After learning that Allyson was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Missy felt inspired to create a nonprofit to help grant the wishes of Allyson and other young, terminally-ill mothers. Their mission is to give the young children of these mothers a memory that will last a lifetime.

Missy told us that their hope is to provide memories to these children of their mothers that aren't of hospital beds, chemotherapy or doctors. They want their lasting memories to be of happy, once-in-a-lifetime experiences like getting to see Mickey Mouse, or heading to the beach, or even just getting a new puppy.

Allyson's wish was the first wish granted by Ally's wish. They published the blog she had been writing throughout her battle with cancer and were able to present it to her. Portions of her blog are now available in a book called "Three Little Cowboys" which is dedicated to her three sons. And proceeds from all books sales go to Allyson's sons and to Ally's Wish to help fulfill other mothers' wishes.

So, how can you help?

In order to fulfill more mothers' wishes, Ally's Wish is always looking for help from our community.

You can, of course, always donate to their cause through their website.

But they also hold two annual events to spread the word about their mission and to raise money to help even more mothers and families.

One of those events is actually taking place this Saturday, November 3  - their First Annual Lakeside 5K and Family Fun Day at Lakeside DFW. A day for the entire family, Ally’s Wish and Lakeside DFW are hosting a fun-filled day honoring and celebrating the lives of the moms that Ally’s Wish supports. The event will include a 5K, Family Fun Run, family-friendly activities, live music, food and much more! 

Register for the Race

Their second event is their annual Boots and Blessings Gala held each Spring. And they're already starting to plan for it and are looking for sponsors and donations, so if you'd like to contribute to that event, they'd appreciate help with that as well!

We love Ally's Wish's mission to "dream big" for these moms and their families and are grateful to them for the impact they're having in our community. Missy hopes that you'll choose to get involved with Ally's Wish's mission because you, too, believe in helping these moms and in creating positive memories for their children.

*To learn more about Ally's Wish and how you can join the cause, visit their website.