Children's Wish Foundation Responds to Bad Press

Linda Dozoretz, founder and executive director of Children’s Wish Foundation International, responded to a recent report that ranked her charity as No.3 out of the 50 worst charities in America.  

Children’s Wish, headquartered in Sandy Springs, provides funding for wishes for terminally ill children.  The report, released by The Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting, ranked charities “based on cash paid to solicitors in the past decade,” according to the Tampa Bay Times.  

Dozoretz, who founded the charity in 1985, defended her organizations usage of solicitation companies claiming that her organization could not fund wishes without them.  

“CWFI’s staff are not fundraisers,” Dozoretz said.  “Although we do receive in-kind contributions, it does not cover 100 percent of the wish.”  

According to the report, in 2010 Dozoretz received a salary of $262,752.  Dozoretz disputes some of the report’s claims. 

“During the year 2008, Tampa Bay Times reported that no wishes were fulfilled, which is absolutely not true,” Dozoretz said.  

The report states that in 2008 $0 of the funds raised went to direct cash aid.

“Just last year, we shipped over 26,000 boxes of toys, games, arts and crafts supplies, etc. to approximately 400 hospitals to be distributed to the children,” Dozoretz said. “That should count for something.”