Wish Upon A Teen

What Wish Upon A Teen does

Wish Upon A Teen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by Michelle Scerbo, a former Child Life Specialist at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, to serve teenagers (ages 13+) facing severe life-limiting medical conditions such as cancer, transplant waiting, and chronic illness. Headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, the organization operates four core programs: Design My Room® (a trademarked hospital room makeover program where rooms are personalized with bedding, décor, and memorabilia for $250 per room), Evening of Dreams Prom (an annual gala for teens unable to attend school prom), Spa Day (partner-salon pampering events), and Family Outings (sporting event tickets for teens and families). The organization is not a technology company and operates with no proprietary software, app, or digital platform.

The business model is donation-driven, with revenue sourced from individual contributions (accepted via PayPal), corporate sponsorships across four tiers (Wishmaker, Angels, Dreamers, Patrons), event underwriting, and in-kind donations of services and goods (e.g., salon services, formalwear, sporting event tickets). The go-to-market is community-led and referral-driven: Child Life Specialists at 86 partner hospitals identify eligible teens and refer them through a referral form, after which staff and volunteers deliver the room makeover or event. The organization employs a small team (1-10) led by Founder/President Michelle Scerbo and Executive Director Nancy Sovran, supported by volunteers, interns, and a Medical Advisor (Tricia Keefer, University of Michigan Health System). No institutional funding, venture capital, or debt is disclosed, and revenue is not publicly reported.

The organization has scaled its hospital partner network from 6 in 2015 to 86 nationwide under Nancy Sovran's leadership as Executive Director, spanning major pediatric institutions including UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Children's National Medical Center, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Lurie Children's, Seattle Children's, Rady Children's, and several others. Marketing is conducted through organic social (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr), a blog, email newsletters, Eventbrite, and earned media placements (TODAY.com, Girls' Life magazine). The organization has been recognized with a 2019 Esteemed Women of Michigan award for Sovran, and the Design My Room® program is formally trademarked.

Name

Wish Upon A Teen

Legal name

Wish Upon A Teen

Website

https://wishuponateen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wish Upon A Teen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides hospital room makeovers, proms, spa days, and family outings to teenagers (13+) with severe life-limiting medical conditions across 86 partner hospitals in the United States, funded through individual donations and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Pediatric Psychosocial Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL)

Keywords

• Pediatric psychosocial support
• Hospital room makeovers
• Teen medical support programs
• Nonprofit youth services
• Charitable hospital programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations & Sponsorships: The organization operates entirely on donations from individuals and corporate sponsors. Sponsors fund specific room makeovers ($250 per room), event underwriting, and general operating costs. Donations are accepted via PayPal on the website.
2. In-Kind Donations: Businesses donate services (salon services for Spa Day, formalwear for Prom, sporting event tickets for Family Outings) rather than cash. These in-kind contributions enable programs without requiring cash expenditure.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Companies serve as named sponsors for events (e.g., Wishmaker, Angels, Dreamers, Patrons tiers for the Evening of Dreams Prom), providing monetary or in-kind support in exchange for association with the nonprofit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Wish Upon A Teen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers in-person psychosocial support programs to teenagers (ages 13+) facing severe life-limiting medical conditions during extended hospitalization. Its flagship Design My Room® program redesigns a teen's hospital room with personalized bedding, décor, pajamas, and memorabilia matched to the teen's interests, with all items taken home at discharge. The organization also runs the Evening of Dreams Prom, Spa Day pampering events, and Family Outings to sporting events, all delivered free of charge to teen beneficiaries through referrals from 86 partner hospitals nationwide.

Product overview

Wish Upon A Teen is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates as a single, unified charitable service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization offers four distinct programs: Design My Room® (hospital room makeovers for teens facing extended hospitalization), Evening of Dreams Prom (annual gala event for teens unable to attend school proms), Spa Day (pampering events at partner spas), and Family Outings (sporting event tickets for families). The flagship Design My Room® program costs $250 per room and is offered across 86 hospital partners nationwide. The organization does not offer a technology product or SaaS platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Design My Room®: Wish Upon a Teen's signature program that decorates hospital rooms for teens facing extended hospitalization due to life-threatening illness or serious injury.

Products and services

• Design My Room® Signature program that redesigns hospital rooms for teens facing extended hospitalization due to life-threatening illness or serious injury, providing brand-new personalized bedding, wall décor, pajamas, robe, slippers, picture frames, sports memorabilia, and arts-and-crafts kits matched to each teen's interests. Items are provided at no cost to the teen and can be taken home at discharge. The program is funded by $250 room sponsorships.
• Evening of Dreams Prom

Quantifiable outcome

• Hospitals report teens show measurable improvement in spirits and sense of well-being after room makeovers.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• Viking BagsminorOthersViking Bags donated an Extra Large Motorcycle Backpack to one of Wish Upon A Teen's special teens, demonstrating community support through in-kind product donations.
• Wishmaker Sponsors (Children's Hospital of Michigan)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerChildren's Hospital of Michigan is a Wishmaker-level sponsor of the Evening of Dreams Prom, providing funding or in-kind support at the highest sponsorship tier.
• Angels Sponsors (Shift Digital, Beaumont Children's Hospital, Visionalist Entertainment Productions, Keith Famie, Jane Cosmetics, David Birdwell and Charlie Riddle, Glam4Good, Mary Alice Stephenson, Bloom2Bloom)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerMultiple organizations and individuals at the Angels tier of the Evening of Dreams Prom, providing significant sponsorship funding and in-kind contributions including media production, cosmetics, and event support.
• Dreamers Sponsors (Straight Arrow Products, Inteva Products, Regina High School, Alex Emilio Salon, Bellisimo Hair Studio, One Salon, Target, Stella & Dot)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMid-tier sponsors of the Evening of Dreams Prom providing goods, services, or financial support.
• Patrons Sponsors (Carrie Drinkert Photography, Party Pros Detroit, Moosejaw, Rock the Booth, Restyle Child, Luxe Event Linen, The Art of Custom Framing, The Bake Station, Beyond Juice, Hotel St. Regis, Tiger Beat Magazine)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEntry-level sponsors of the Evening of Dreams Prom providing specialized services, products, or financial support.
• Sonya Dakar Skin Clinic (Beverly Hills, CA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner salon providing free spa services for Wish Upon A Teen's Spa Day events, offering facials and skincare treatments to teens with chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
• One Salon (Novi, MI)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMichigan-based partner salon providing free spa services for Spa Day events.
• Alex & Emilio Salon (Royal Oak, MI)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMichigan-based partner salon providing free spa services including hair styling for Spa Day events.
• Mark Garrison Salon (New York)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNew York-based partner salon contributing services to Spa Day events.
• Elliot's Family Hairstyling (Owosso, MI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMichigan-based partner providing hairstyling services for Spa Day events.
• Bellissimo Hair Salon (Taylor, MI)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMichigan-based partner providing hairstyling services for Spa Day events.
• 86 Partner HospitalsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner86 hospitals across the United States (including UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Mott Children's Hospital, Children's National, Lurie Children's, Seattle Children's, and many more) partner with Wish Upon A Teen, providing access to teen patients and serving as the primary distribution channel for the Design My Room program. The hospital network grew from 6 partners to 86 under Executive Director Nancy Sovran's leadership.
• Oakland University William Beaumont School of MedicineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedical students from Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine partner with Wish Upon A Teen as part of their four-year Capstone Project, working on initiatives to improve patient care experiences for teens and young adults.
• TODAY.com / NBC (featured media)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWish Upon A Teen was featured in a TODAY.com video segment titled 'Wish Upon a Teen brings a taste of home to children's hospital rooms,' providing national media exposure.
• Girls' Life MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWish Upon A Teen was featured in Girls' Life magazine, generating earned media coverage for the organization.
• WMYD TV20 DetroitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmbassador Jessica Lundy is host of WMYD TV20 Detroit, featuring segments on local events including Wish Upon A Teen activities.
• FM 98 WJLB (Detroit)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMultiple ambassadors (Dr. Darrius, Kirby Gwen) are radio personalities at FM 98 WJLB Detroit, a major urban radio station, providing media partnerships to promote Wish Upon A Teen events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chai Lifeline: Nonprofit providing services to families of children with cancer, life-threatening illnesses, and chronic conditions, including hospital-based and in-home programs. Comparable in delivering material and emotional support to seriously ill youth, though with a narrower demographic focus.
• Starlight Children's Foundation: National nonprofit delivering programs (distraction, entertainment, play) to hospitalized children, including teens. Operates hospital-based programming with similar referral pathways through Child Life Specialists and is one of the closest direct competitors for hospital CSR dollars.
• Make-A-Wish Foundation: National nonprofit granting wishes to children with critical illnesses. Highly comparable mission of delivering emotional/psychological support to medically ill youth, though it focuses on wish fulfillment for younger children more than ongoing adolescent psychosocial programming.
• National Children's Cancer Society: National nonprofit providing direct financial and emotional support to children with cancer and their families. Overlaps in target population (critically ill youth) and delivers complementary psychosocial and material support services.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: National nonprofit raising funds for pediatric hospitals across the US. Operates as a fundraising umbrella over many of the same partner hospitals Wish Upon A Teen serves, competing for corporate partner sponsorships and donor mindshare at the institutional level.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Largest nonprofit supporting families of sick children, focused on housing and family services near pediatric hospitals. A broad incumbent with overlapping hospital partnership infrastructure and substantially larger funding base, but a different core service (lodging vs. teen psychosocial programs).
• National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: National nonprofit funding pediatric cancer research and family support. Overlaps in beneficiary population (critically ill children) and hospital-based partnerships, though primary focus is research funding rather than direct psychosocial programming.

Emerging players

• Beads of Courage: Nonprofit providing arts-in-medicine programs (bead-based storytelling) for children coping with serious illness, delivered in hospital settings. Comparable in scope (hospital-based psychosocial support for sick children), though more focused on arts programming than room makeovers or events.
• Camp Sunshine: Nonprofit running year-round retreat programs for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Comparable in mission of restoring normalcy/experiences to critically ill youth, though focused on residential camp programming rather than hospital-based interventions.
• Special Love: Nonprofit providing programs and experiences for children with cancer and their families, including camps and hospital-based support. Comparable in delivering psychosocial/experiential programming to critically ill youth with a focus on normalized experiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wishuponateen
• Facebookfacebook.com/wishuponateen.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/wishuponateen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Wish Upon A Teen