We Are Young (way)

What We Are Young (way) does

We Are Young (WAY) is a Canadian registered charity (#801859927 RR 0001) founded in 2015 and headquartered in Sydney River, Nova Scotia, that grants unfulfilled wishes and dreams to seniors as a means of addressing loneliness, isolation, and diminished sense of purpose in older adults. Its core product is a wish-granting service that pairs seniors with tailored experiences, supplemented by a "Little Wishes" sub-program for smaller requests and the annual Holiday Happiness Card Campaign, which delivered 3,000 handwritten cards to seniors in 2025. The organization is positioned as the leading senior wish-fulfillment charity of its kind in Canada, with a stated goal of granting 100 wishes annually by 2027.

WAY runs on a donation-based nonprofit revenue model with three streams: one-time donations processed via its website, the Monthly Wish Champions recurring giving program, and in-kind volunteer contributions mobilized through community campaigns. Go-to-market is community-led: senior referrals flow in through partnerships with senior care facilities and healthcare providers, while donor acquisition relies on the weareyoung.ca website, email newsletters, events, workplace giving campaigns, and earned media — notably national coverage from CTV. The operating team is small (1-10 employees), with no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no app; infrastructure is a Squarespace website built by Up Public Relations. There are no disclosed venture funding rounds, acquisitions, patents, or trademarks, consistent with its nonprofit, donation-funded structure.

Name

We Are Young (way)

Legal name

We Are Young (WAY)

Website

https://weareyoung.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

We Are Young (WAY) is a Canadian registered charity that grants unfulfilled wishes and dreams to seniors, running the Holiday Happiness Card Campaign and a Monthly Wish Champions donation program to combat senior isolation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Senior Wish Fulfillment Services (Nonprofit)

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Senior wish fulfillment
• Nonprofit charity services
• Elderly community support
• Senior care programs
• Age advocacy nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Halifax

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations - One-time: Individual donors make one-time monetary donations to support wish fulfillment for seniors. Donations are processed through the organization's website.
2. Monthly Wish Champions: Recurring monthly donation program where supporters commit to regular contributions to sustain ongoing wish-granting operations.
3. Volunteer Contributions: Community members contribute time and creativity through programs like the Holiday Happiness Card Campaign, where volunteers create and deliver holiday cards to seniors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

We Are Young (WAY) is a registered Canadian charity that grants experience-based wishes and dreams to seniors across Canada. It fulfills unfulfilled wishes through a core Wish Granting Services program, a smaller-scale Little Wishes sub-program, and an annual Holiday Happiness Card Campaign that delivers handwritten holiday cards to isolated seniors. The organization is funded by individual donations and monthly recurring contributions rather than selling products or services.

Product overview

We Are Young (WAY) is a single-service nonprofit organization focused on granting unfulfilled wishes and dreams to seniors in Canada. The organization's core offering is its Wish Granting Services, which provides transformative wish experiences recognizing seniors' unique aspirations, passions, and emotional needs. Supporting programs include Little Wishes for smaller wish fulfillment, the Holiday Happiness Card Campaign for seasonal community connection, and the Monthly Wish Champions recurring donation program. WAY positions itself as the leading organization of its kind in Canada, with a goal to grant 100 wishes annually by 2027.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wish Granting Services Core service that grants unfulfilled wishes and dreams to seniors, creating transformative wish experiences that recognize unique aspirations, passions, and emotional needs of each senior recipient.
• Little Wishes A specialized program within the wish-granting services focused on fulfilling smaller, more accessible wishes for seniors.
• Holiday Happiness Card Campaign Annual campaign that creates handwritten messages of care in holiday cards to remind seniors they are valued, loved, and remembered by their community, especially during the holiday season when isolation is most acute. Reached goal of 3,000 cards delivered to seniors in 2025.
• Monthly Wish Champions Recurring monthly donation program that supports ongoing wish-granting operations, allowing donors to become regular supporters of the organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduction in loneliness and isolation through meaningful wish experiences
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Up Public RelationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUp Public Relations designed and built the organization's website (weareyoung.ca), providing digital infrastructure support for WAY's online presence and donation capabilities.
• CTV (Canadian Television)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational television coverage of wish recipients, including interviews with wish fulfillment recipients, generating significant public awareness and credibility for the organization.
• Community PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organizations and partners participate in the Holiday Happiness Card Campaign, helping create thousands of meaningful connections for seniors who deserve to feel valued and celebrated.
• Workplaces (Corporate Partners)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate workplaces participate in annual Holiday Happiness Card Campaign, providing employee engagement opportunities while supporting senior isolation reduction initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Make-A-Wish Canada: Canada's leading wish-granting charity, operating an identical experience-based wish fulfillment model but focused on children with critical illnesses. Directly comparable in mission structure, donation-driven funding, and volunteer-led execution, differing only in target beneficiary demographic.
• Dream Foundation: U.S.-based nonprofit granting wishes to adults aged 18+ with life-limiting or terminal illnesses, with a strong focus on seniors. Closest functional peer to WAY with the same wish-fulfillment model targeting older adults, differing primarily in geography and illness-based eligibility criteria.
• Wish Upon a Wedding: Nonprofit granting wedding wishes to couples facing terminal illness or serious life challenges. Comparable wish-fulfillment model with similar donation-based funding and volunteer execution, but focused on a specific wish type across younger demographics.
• Sunshine Foundation of Canada: Canadian charity fulfilling dreams for children, teens, and adults with severe physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses. Comparable donation-funded wish-granting model with Canadian operational footprint, differing in target population and eligibility framework.
• Veterans Wish Foundation: U.S.-based nonprofit granting wishes to terminally ill veterans and seniors with life-limiting conditions. Closely comparable wish-fulfillment model with senior and elderly beneficiary focus, differing in geography and veteran eligibility criteria.

Others

• Senior Helpers: For-profit provider of in-home senior care services across North America. Adjacent in serving the elderly population with connection-focused programs, but operates a paid services model rather than a donation-funded wish-granting approach.

Broad incumbents

• Meals on Wheels Canada: National Canadian nonprofit combating senior isolation through meal delivery and social connection programs. Comparable mission of addressing senior loneliness and isolation in Canada, but delivers nutrition services rather than experience-based wishes.
• March of Dimes Canada: Established Canadian nonprofit providing services to people with disabilities and seniors across the country. Comparable in serving elderly populations and operating a national donation-funded model, but offers a broader service portfolio rather than specializing in wish fulfillment.
• Starlight Children's Foundation Canada: Canadian branch of a global wish-granting charity serving children with serious illnesses. Operates a similar donation-funded model in Canada with comparable storytelling and media-driven fundraising, but targets pediatric beneficiaries.
• ElderCare Canada: Canadian organization providing information and resources for seniors and caregivers. Comparable in serving elderly Canadians through a non-profit structure, but functions as an information platform rather than delivering experience-based programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/we-are-young-way

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about We Are Young (way)