Our Vision

When a child is sick, everyone hurts. A chronic illness robs children of childhood. It exhausts parents, strains marriages and leaves healthy siblings feeling like they don't matter at all.

Having a wish granted can bring a welcome respite from the grind of hospital stays, doctors visits, medicines, tests, treatments, worries and fears. The wish is not a cure, and it is not a reward for being sick. It's a break from the daily hardship of being ill - a break for the entire family. A wish is something the whole family can look forward to.

The Rainbow Society of Alberta is dedicated to fulfilling wishes for Alberta children between the ages of three and eighteen with a chronic or life-threatening illness.

Since 1986, we have fulfilled the wishes of over 600 children from across the province that may have otherwise been out-of-reach.

Our Mission

The Rainbow Society of Alberta is a non-profit and registered charity dedicated to fulfilling wishes and dreams for Alberta children. This mandate is performed in strict adherence to the following guidelines.

• The wish must be in the best interest of the child.
• The wish must be fulfilled outside of a hospital environment when possible, thereby including the immediate family.
• The privacy and dignity of the child and family is maintained at all times. We will not exploit or publicize the child and his or her wish or the family involved.
• The child must be between the ages of three and eighteen (not yet reached their eighteenth birthday).

» Click here to refer a child for a wish

Our Difference

The Rainbow Society is the only wish-granting organization dedicated solely to Alberta children with a life-threatening or chronic illness.

We define chronic as a medial condition that severely impacts the child's activities of daily living. The impact and restrictions that may result from a variety of factors including, but not limited to, recurrent hospital stays, use of oxygen and/or ventilator machines, high doses of medications, or the need for a considerable degree of medical intervention.

The inclusion of chronic illness in our mandate sets us apart from similar organizations in Canada. The Rainbow Society is an essential resource for chronically ill children who do not qualify for a wish under other programs. In fact, 95% of the wishes we grant are for children with a chronic illness.

The Rainbow Society is also the only wish-granting organization dedicated exclusively to Alberta children. We do not receive government funding nor are we a member agency of the United Way.

Although not a wish granting organization, the Canadian Foundation for the Love of Children offers a grief support program for children called 'Rainbows' and, because of the obvious similarity in the name, it is often confused with our program. To learn more please visit their website or contact them at 1-800-416-HOPE.