We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Missy Phipps. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Missy below.

Hi Missy, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?

Ally’s Wish was created in memory of a wonderful woman named Allyson Hendrickson. I met her early on in her cancer journey. She came to speak about her faith at a Moms of Pre School kids event that I attended and I learned that she had three young boys. The second she was introduced, I knew there was something about her… something very different. Little did I know that at the time, she was in remission for ovarian cancer, but a short time later, her cancer returned and would eventually, after several years of fighting, take her life. The truth is I didn’t really get to know Allyson for several years after that first encounter with her. We attended the same church and I heard that her cancer had returned. And though I didn’t really know her, I felt God calling my friend group to do something for her, and while we talked about it frequently, we could never really figure out what the calling was. One day, I was driving and God laid the idea of Ally’s Wish on my heart – to grant wishes to terminally ill young moms and Allyson would be the first wish! I called my friends and asked if they could meet that night to discuss the idea, and that very night, Ally’s Wish was created.

Once it was established we went to Allyson and shared with her what we had done, and it was such a sweet time with her. Her wish was to have her 8-year blog chronicling her journey printed for her family and her sons. So we did just that and we were able to present it to her just a few short months before God called her home for healing. Allyson, in a lot of ways, is a hero. As I was able to get to know her, her strength, character, faith, and the love of her family I came to see that these characteristics are something you don’t see every day. Though she traveled a very dark road for many years, she did it with courage, grace and hope, and continued to be an example of love and God’s goodness to her family and friends. There’s not one wish that we grant that I don’t still think of Allyson. She was so much more than just a woman that died of cancer. She was a Mom, daughter, wife, friend, teacher, motivator and those that knew her are better people. She was a hero.

Missy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Ally’s Wish was created in 2014 and we grant wishes to terminally ill young moms across the country. I never really had a thought of starting a non-profit until I met Allyson. And my thought was, if I was in Allyson’s situation and was terminally ill, what would I want? And the only thing I could think of was to make as many memories as I could with my kids. Good memories, not ones that would include doctors and hospitals and illness. But memories that include laughing and adventure and joy. To be able to forget the illness, for even just a minute. If we have accomplished that through granting a wish then we have completed our mission. Granting wishes to these amazing moms is such a privilege. The joy we see on the moms and their sweet kiddos faces is overwhelming, emotional and a blessing. Allyson was an amazing young woman and we love that her legacy lives on with each wish granted.

Not sure what your question was but I’m sure you can figure out which option was selected based on the response.

I don’t know if we are considered an artist or creative, but I do believe our organization is creative because there is not an organization like ours that grants wishes to terminally ill young moms. But What we do is very rewarding as we create experiences to provide wonderful memories for a moms and children to share for a lifetime. Sometimes if the mom is very sick when we receive the referral, then we have to be creative and figure out a wish that can be executed quickly. We have done a birthday party for a sweet girl at her moms hospice center, we did a very quick Christmas celebration complete with snow and carolers. In both instances the moms passed away within weeks. But what amazing memories we were able to help create for those kiddos.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

The success of Ally’s Wish lies solely on donations that we can use to grant our wishes. We host several fundraising events throughout the year: Boots & Blessings is held every April and is a fun western-themed event with dancing, live music, dinner and an auction. We have a Mother’s Day fundraiser where people can donate in honor of their Mother, the Lakeside 5k and Fun Run is held each October, and donations of cash, products and services are always accepted!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://allyswish.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allyswish14
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allyswish14
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/allyswish14

Image Credits
Bob Manzano Photography