MANCHESTER, NH – On Dec. 9, Macy’s and Make-A-Wish will celebrate the eighth annual National Believe Day, a pinnacle moment of this year’s Believe campaign. Macy’s will commemorate the occasion with a double donation for the Believe letter writing program and the return of Wishes Across America, a day devoted to granting incredible wishes for children across the country with life-threatening medical conditions.
“National Believe Day is one of our favorite times of the year, where our partners at Make-A-Wish, Macy’s customers and employees come together to help make wishes come true for wish kids and their families,” said Holly Thomas, group vice president of Cause Marketing for Macy’s. “Along with these incredible wishes, we’re bringing back double donation, which is a huge opportunity to raise an additional $1 million for Make-A-Wish on National Believe Day alone.”
National Believe Day
Since early November, Macy’s has invited customers of all ages to drop their letters to Santa at their local Macy’s store or send online via macys.com/believe. Macy’s will donate $1, up to $1 million, to Make-A-Wish for every letter collected through Dec. 24.
For National Believe Day on Dec. 9, Macy’s will offer a double donation, providing an additional $1 per letter to Make-A-Wish, up to an extra $1 million, above the existing $1 million campaign goal. In addition, Macy’s and Make-A-Wish will celebrate Wishes Across America by granting wishes in Macy’s stores across the country, bringing together wish kids and their families, Macy’s employees and local communities. Wishes will be granted to children like Jake (age 16), who wishes to have a guitar, Alyla (age 3), who wishes to be a princess, and Kayla (age 14), who wishes to create a professional modeling portfolio.
The Believe campaign was inspired by the true story of 8-year-old Virginia, who wrote a letter to the New York Sun newspaper in 1897 asking about the existence of Santa. The classic response, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus …,” penned by Francis P. Church, became the most reprinted editorial in any English-language newspaper. The season also marks a major milestone, as Macy’s will celebrate $100 million in total giving to Make-A-Wish since 2003, with nearly $13 million donated through the Believe campaign.
Celebrate with “Yes, Virginia”
This Friday, Dec. 9, the “Yes, Virginia” animated special will air online at youtube.com/macys. The award-winning, half-hour holiday program features a star-studded cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alfred Molina and Beatrice Miller in the title role. The cast also includes former wish child Taylor Hay, who had her wish granted when her voice was captured for one of the film’s characters.
To learn more about the Believe campaign and the children who will have their wishes granted on National Believe Day, visit macys.com/believe.
