Ranch & Coast Magazine

One particular initiative, Kids Ocean Day, provides education on marine life and marine pollution, culminating in a cleanup at the beach. "Sometimes we hear from some of these kids that they have never seen the beach, even though they live in San Diego," marvels Monahan. "That's how impactful these things can be — when you can tie a young person from the education to the issue and give them an experience that they haven't had before, that's memorable, and that's going to stick with somebody." Ultimately, says Monahan, the vision is to create "zero waste" living in our region, but he doesn't want the concept to scare anyone away. "'Zero waste' may seem like an overwhelming term," he says, "but what we're trying to do is say, 'Here are the small steps that you can achieve right now that will help down the road as you begin to increase these behaviors in your lifestyle.'" cleansd.org The Heartwarmer Some nonprofits are bona fide household names. But how often do we circle back and ask: What are they doing now? It's a very relevant question for Make-A- Wish San Diego, the beloved organization whose sole mission since its chapter was founded in 1983 is to make dreams come true for kids suffering from critical illness in San Diego and Imperial Counties. The pandemic has thrown a wrench into the celebrity meet-and-greets and trips to magical theme parks that we so often associate with Make-A-Wish. And now, for the chapter that's granted roughly 4,700 wishes since it began at a pace of about 220 per year on average, they've got about 350 kids in the process of receiving a wish. "It's not because we're not granting wishes, it's because it's gotten significantly more complicated," explains Suzanne Husby, CEO of Make-A-Wish San Diego, which is one of a network of chapters within the national organization with presence in every state in the U.S. "So many kids historically have wished to travel, get on an airplane, go to a theme park or a sporting event, and those really aren't an option during a pandemic. We've had to get really creative and take our cues from our kids, of course, and reimagine the way we grant wishes." Husby, whose 18-year tenure at Make-A-Wish San Diego began with an intern position, says that "We've had to get really creative... and reimagine the way we grant wishes" Make-A-Wish San Diego made leukemia patient Zahra's wish for a treehouse a reality >> ranchandcoast.com @ranchandcoast RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2021 39 PHOTO COURTESY OF MAKE-A-WISH SAN DIEGO

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