Breast Wishes Foundation Wants to Help

By Nancy Bowman

The Breast Wishes Foundation wants to help "shine a little light" into the lives of women as they deal with the effects of cancer on their daily lives.

The organization works to fulfill a wish that will bring joy to each woman’s life — whether it's a shopping spree, new doors for a house, or a project put on hold by a diagnosis or the need to pay pressing bills.

The foundation, which granted its first wish in January 2017, was started by Montgomery County natives Elesha Snyder and Mandi Snyder Moore in memory of their sister, Kelli James, who they lost to breast cancer.

Although the foundation is statewide, it grants most of its wishes in the Miami Valley area, said Snyder, who owns George’s Restaurant on North Dixie Drive, Dayton.

The main foundation fundraiser is the 5K for Kelli Run/Walk held each August at Wegerzyn Gardens MetroPark. The 5K was held a few years before the foundation’s creation to raise money for other organizations, Snyder said.

Eventually, the women decided to start their own foundation so they could choose where to provide joy to the recipient. “Kelli was so full of joy,” Snyder said of her sister. “I think what helps us stand out is that we are really bringing joy into an otherwise joyless time, a really dark place for most people.”

That joy doesn’t have to be something expensive. So far, Breast Wishes has sponsored more than 40 wishes with a goal of more than 50 for this year.

For Jonda Wilkin of Butler Township, breast cancer resulted in the loss of everything. She learned about the foundation through the women’s office at Miami Valley Hospital North.

Her wish was fulfilled with a shopping spree during which cleaning and other needed supplies were obtained along with clothing.

“That trip,” Wilkin said, “was the first time she had not thought about her cancer.”

“We are just shining a little light in their lives when they really, really need it,” Snyder said.

Breast Wishes cannot grant a wish because of its size, it will work with the recipient on filling another need, she said.

The organization's work received local support late last year with a $3,000 grant from the Tipp City Foundation for wishes of women in Tipp City and Bethel Township.

It was also the site recently of a coffee cocktail event, a new project Breast Wishes supporters are undertaking to spread the word of the organization, its fundraising, and its work, said Jan Hillman, a Tipp City resident, breast cancer survivor, and volunteer helping with fundraising.

At those events, a breast cancer survivor, board member, and wish recipient are among participants. Wilkin was the wish recipient at the Tipp City gathering and now helps the organization in the office.

“A grant request by Breast Wishes caught the eye of the Tipp City Foundation,” said Heather Bailey of the foundation.

“It was a new organization that hasn’t served the community,” she said. “We are excited to award them support.” Bailey said, adding Breast Wishes was one of five new organizations receiving funding for the first time last year by the foundation during its 75th year.

More information on Breast Wishes Foundation can be found on its website BreastWishesFoundation.org. The site includes information on how to make a wish and how to donate.