Connect With A Wish

I just love this organization! Their sole mission to assist the children in foster care for the Hampton Roads area is unique and desperately needed. So often times, this demographic of children get overlooked when they really need the help. Joy and her crew work tirelessly to raise funds, donations and the lives of the children they serve.

I have been volunteering for Connect With A Wish for five years and it has really opened my eyes to the plight of foster children. Connect With A Wish does a tremendous job of supporting foster children of all ages in the Tidewater area of Virginia, not just with their daily needs but by providing special events that they might not get to participate in otherwise.

Our foster children are given birthday goodies, school supplies, Christmas, are helped to transition out of care, help with college and the list goes on and on.

I had the privilege of seeing the great work that Joy and her team does including providing gifts for foster children for Christmas and helping young ladies during prom season. This was a beautiful event where young foster teen women could come to a nice venue to try on and select the prom dress of her choice with shoes to match, have their hair and makeup done. Plus, these young ladies got to take their gowns, shoes and makeup home with them. There was food and entertainment provided as well. There were a ton of pictures taken too. At the end of the event, I noticed some of the young women did not want to change out of their gowns. Way to go Joy and team for making a difference in the lives of foster children. God bless you!

We have partnered with Connect with a Wish to help children and families in the community for the past 5 years. It has been amazing to see the generosity, compassion and flexibility of CWW to ensure all in our community have access to needed resources. Thank you for all you do CWW!

This is an absolutely amazing organization, helping so many children in need!

I have been blessed with material things through out my life and have always felt the need to give back. Sometimes it is difficult to find an organization that uses the resources given in the most beneficial way ( in my opinion). I feel CWW does this.
The things I give are used in their original form, not sold for a fraction of their value. There are wish lists so we can get whatever is needed. There are volunteer opportunities when we have time to give.

Connect With a Wish does amazing work to support local foster care children. We have programs to help the child - and the foster parents throughout the foster care experience. We have our Handle with Care bags which provide the foster child essentials and comfort items to help ease anxiousness for children being removed from their homes and placed into foster care. We assist with extra furniture, car seats, strollers and other needed items for foster parents. CWW organizes multiple events throughout the year to celebrate foster youth - including Back to School rally (which includes hundreds of backpacks with school supplies), coat drive, Easter baskets and Santapoolza. And we are here for those youth that age out of the foster care system but still need assistance with housing and transition to "adult living" in our community.

I’ve seen first hand what volunteering and being a donor can do for this organization.
It’s created awareness and participation within our community. It’s brought people together for a greater good. CWW helps the children in foster care become the best version of themselves.

Connect With a Wish is such a great organization that has changed many lives of local foster kids! Every day CWW tackles problems that foster children and the foster families face especially the really challenging ones when they age out of the foster care system and try to navigate the world on their own. It's amazing to see the impact this charity has made on children who really need our help and support! Please consider supporting this wonderful nonprofit!

I have been a part of CWW for 10 years and am constantly amazed by the hard work, dedication and countless hours that our volunteers and board members give, year after year! CWW has helped so many at risk children and young adults turn their lives around. This organization is there every day with both physical and monetary assistance as well as working with local officials to enact laws to help those in foster care. I hate to think what would happen to the children and young adults in local foster care without Connect With A Wish.

These folks do a wonderful job making foster kids' lives a bit brighter.

They are doing great things for our local youth in foster care !

After hearing CWW’s director lecturing at our senior center, I visited the charity and was absolutely amazed to see how much they provide to local foster kids and their foster families. Year-round they have specific projects providing things like loaded back-packs when school starts, evening gowns for proms, winter jackets, holiday and birthday gifts. They now provide career counseling and help foster kids go to college and move into their own apartments. The effort they put into supporting foster kids and raising money to provide that support is incredible. We are blessed to have such a wonderful charity in our town. Thanks to Joy, her staff and all the volunteers who do such admirable work.

Connect With a Wish is an incredible organization that truly goes above and beyond to support foster children. Their dedication to making a difference in the lives of these kids is unmatched, providing them with resources, support, and a sense of belonging. The passion and compassion of the team shine through in everything they do. They bring hope and positivity to so many children, and it’s heartwarming to see the impact they make. I’m grateful for the work they do and highly recommend supporting their mission. Five stars without a doubt!

When we were fostering they were always there to support our kiddos in helping with clothes, gifts at christmas, Great events throughout the year. They are a great support to all kids in foster care and I will continue to support this great organization.

Connect with a wish has always gone Above and beyond to support children and Families in need and support in crisis situations by providing resources needed and it’s this support that help keep families together and give them a chance to thrive and succeed.

I’m amazed every single day at the awesome work CWW is doing. Granting wishes for foster care is what they do best!

Connect With a Wish is a great resource for youth and young adults navigating the foster care systems, especially in Hampton Roads! I have been lucky to work here for 3+ years and manage the Connect to Careers Program. This program assists the young adults transitioning out of care into the workforce with a 5 goal approach. Upon graduation of the program, they can receive a financial incentive, letter of rec, and certificate of completion!

Highly recommend utilizing CWW if you are a foster parent, foster youth or kinship placement. Give us a call!

CWW has been a true honor and privilege to work with throughout the years. They work tirelessly to provide foster children with resources and opportunities that may be unable to achieve in foster care. Many times, it’s as easy as a call with a request and CWW quickly takes on the challenge of granting every child’s wish or need. If only everyone at CWW could see the joy and happiness they bring to every child. I have had the pleasure of delivering many CWW wishes to children in foster care and observed the smiles and enjoyment expressed by every recipient. CWW has touched so many children’s lives, in such a positive manner. We truly appreciate their dedication and mission to provide every available opportunity to children in foster care. Thank you CWW!

We adopted out of foster care this year and CWW continued to support our foster care journey and our growing family. We are so grateful for their work! Their participation and gift of events has made my kids feel valued and loved for participating in this family calling.

Doing great work in the community for our children . We had the awesome pleasure of featuring them in our publication. Keep up the good work !!

Wonderful organization that does everything possible to enrich the lives of children in foster care! Over my 16 years of fostering, they arranged for funding for fun day camps, provided a portacrib for a baby and fantastic Christmas gifts. They host annual back to school events and magical Santa-palooza parties. Just an amazing group of dedicated volunteers! Thanks for all you do!
Kerry Moncure

Our family is forever grateful for Connect With A Wish. It has given us experiences at the farm and the aquarium to build memories and expose the children to things they might not otherwise have seen. They go above and beyond to make sure that everyone feels loved and appreciated. They even blessed us with needed baby gear for our foster twins.

I love the gift of volunteering and donating to this fantastic organization. Volunteering and donating is a gift of hope!! It's exactly what Connect With A Wish does by enhancing the lives of Foster Kids of Hampton Roads Foster care. Helping the Foster Kids fills my heart with joy!! The board members and staff make volunteering and donating an honor in serving our community.

Connect with a Wish has supported my family from the day we started fostering. They are always present and available to meet any need we have, both big and small. They are always offering opportunities to spend family time together with tickets to baseball games, aquarium, or the farm. I know that I can always count on them to help if ever the need may arise. I am so appreciative for the kindness and support that everyone on the team has given to me and my family to best support our little foster child with us.

I have been volunteering here for multiple years and couldn't love it more. The staff are amazing and incredibly dedicated to their mission. The cause is wonderful and you can tell they make a genuine impact in the lives of the children they serve.

Never met a group of people more caring and dedicated to what they do. CWW truly cares about the foster children and does everything possible to help these kids fit in. I'm a donar and also put on fundraisers for them throughout the last 3 years.

Connect With a Wish does amazing things in our community. I have been involved with them for a couple years now. The need they fill and provide for foster children is greatly needed. Helping to normalize the life of a foster child Ian’s even making them feel like they matter is essential in their lives. CWW strives to do that and is succeeding!!

I have volunteered with CWW for about 4 years now and it is by far the most impactful charity I have worked with. The staff are all extremely committed to helping kids of all ages in the foster system in a variety of ways. From the back to school event to the prom event (a personal favorite) which helps teen girls prep for upcoming school dances by finding them a dress, shoes, getting their hair/makeup done and much more. Overall, CWW is a fantastic organization that does extremely important and meaningful work for the community.

Connect With A Wish has done amazing things for my foster daughter and our family. They have expressed desire to decorate her room. They have purchased and given my daughter lots of clothes, toys and personal needs. They have also supported us in different forms of connecting us with other community partners. I am thoroughly impressed by and thankful for this organization!

This nonprofit goes above and beyond to ensure the community who fosters and the children are seen, loved, and educated!

I have personally seen all the good this group does. They do so much for the children and foster parents. They have collected suitcases from the public for the children. Each child entering care gets a Handle With Care bag with needed necessities, a blanket, books and more. Each year there are numerous events for these children. There is the back to school event, where the children are given all their school supplies and celebrate the start of school, Santapalooza party for Christmas, gifts and goodies galore, Prom time gets the girls and guys all gussied up with everything they need, including hair and makeup. They have also started a group for the boys and the girls to help with their confidence building. I could go on and on but hopefully you get the idea about this fantastic organization.

Ticket to Dream has partnered with Connect with a Wish for several years now and we could not make the impact we do without their unwavering support of youth in foster care. We're proud to support the work they do in Virginia Beach! Together we are helping change lives.

I have been volunteering with them for about one year. They are super fun to work with and every function they have organized has turned out wonderful. They are also very knowledgeable about the needs of foster children and I have learned a lot from them. Many of the kids have had interactions with the staff for years and everyone is treated like family.

In Summer 2021, I interned with CWW and it was such a learning experience, but one of the best experiences! I currently am now the Program Manager for Connect to Careers, a year old program serving teens in foster care to help guide them successfully into the workforce. With this type of assistance, they will be able to successfully & independently live before aging out of the system at 21 years old.
Connect With a Wish has many other programs such as Handle With Care, Birthday Brigade, Supporting Success, and Children Placement Referrals. Each program is crucial at our organization as it targets different age groups of those in the foster care system. Overall, CWW is a GREAT organization doing GREAT work that you will want to check out more. Come learn all about what we do and how you can help by visiting our website!!

This one lady had a goal to help foster children and she built this up to a few people and then to a whole group of people and coordination with another city to work together for what is best for our foster children. They assist with needed clothing, supplies, summer camps, birthdays, school supplies, Christmas lists, mentoring and so much more. I never get tired of saying "there ARE angels on earth".

Connect with a Wish is amazing! They provide so many different resources for the children of Norfolk and Virginia Beach. There are many ways for the community to get involved to help aid the children that are currently in foster care. I have also witness Connect with a wish continue to help the children once they of age. AMAZING!

I am Myra Hawkins a Foster/Adoptive parent with the city of Virginia Beach. When CCW came on board to support our Foster children, I admit I was afraid they would be around for a limited amount of time and then they would leave us as the others had done in the past. One organization employee stole the Christmas money donated and we were left scrambling to get things for the kids at Christmas. What a feeling of hurt and disappointment! But along comes this wonder organization named Connect With A Wish! CCW has been a God send! I call Joy my Fairy God Mother and her team are the little fairies that make all wishes come true! There has not been a wish that was not granted to my kids in care, not one request not fulfilled. The Christmas celebrations are the best ever! It is always a theme, always a grand production that makes each kid feel extra special! Not only does CCW make personal dreams come true for the kids, but CCW goes above and beyond with community actives that are always above and beyond fun and excitement! CCW includes family and focus on making the whole family feel special and loved. What's in it for them you may ask your support in volunteering when possible, your support when they have events and your commitment to the children in your home. I am so very happy CCW stands with our kids, with us as parents and with our agency to help make great lasting impressions . Thank you seems so small for all you do and have done, but believe me it is a very big thank you from a heart that is grateful, and appreciative of everything you continue to do for the kids. Love you guys beyond the moon! I can't thank you enough from my heart.

Connect With A Wish is an amazing organization! They go above and beyond to provide support for children in foster care and also to provide them with typical childhood experiences that children in care sometimes miss out on. When our foster child was placed with us two days before his birthday Connect With A Wish was ready with gifts and even a cake!

I have been a part of the foster care professional community for over 24 years and never have I seen anyone with a total love and support of the children they serve. There is no request to big or small that they don't do their best to fulfill. I have seen many a child have a complete change in behavior and attitude because they feel that they are supported and someone is listening. They help bring dreams and wishes true to a community that often gets left behind. They make sure the children and youth know that they too matter and that their dreams are just as important as anyone else weather it is taking a ballet class, having a room make-over or attending a 4 year university. Thank you CWW for all that you do!

An amazing organization that is supporting and encouraging kids in foster care here in VA Beach! I can only imagine what a tremendous and encouraging resource they are to the social workers as well. Miracles are happening here.

We've seen first hand how Connect With a Wish helps local foster children. Joy Rios, the founder and her family and volunteers have dedicated countless hours and resources to better the lives of children in foster care. They have identified and put steps in place to tackle the big issues these children and young adults face daily. Unfortunately, most people don't even realize how hard it is for children in foster care. CWW has made a HUGE impact on our community and with continued help and support they will continue to change lives! I highly recommend Connect With a Wish!

I love the work that CWW does! It works to educate the local community on foster care needs and to fill a gap for foster children/youth. Non-profit organizations such as CWW provide opportunities for compassion and unity in the community.

The efforts of this organization and the lasting impact CWW has had on Virginia Beach is inspiring. Joy has the most giving heart and is always willing to share her time & energy as well as trial and errors with anyone that has the slightest interest in her work. The foundation is pure, honest, and hard working. From the Cocktail & Cupcakes fundraiser to the Pungo Wine Festival, they have done everything they can to involve your average joe's with your biggest companies in a cause that easily goes unnoticed. They have helped children be children and brought a community together. If you ever want to donate or volunteer, CWW is as "non-profit" as they get. You can count on every dime you donate going to the kids in foster care who are often jipped of simple opportunities we take for granted like having their own beds or going to soccer camp. Thanks for all you do CWW!

When a child is removed from their home into an unfamiliar place, comfort items are provided free, and on birthdays, a gift is shared. This group is doing good work for all Hampton Roads.

I had the opportunity to complete my internship with Connect With a Wish during the Spring 2018 semester. I was amazed at all the services provided by this organization to the children in foster care in the Virginia Beach area. Being apart of the various events that help the children in care feel confident in themselves was self rewarding! The youth groups attended monthly life benefiting topic meetings that will help them succeed regardless of their current situation. I also had the opportunity to part take in the Annual Pungo Wine Festival where ALL of the proceeds benefited the children in foster care was phenomenal. To see our community come together regardless of weather, to provide more opportunities and funds for the foster care population was amazing! I could not have picked a better organization to complete my internship requirements for Old Dominion University. I now have the opportunity to work along side the Founder/President Joy Rios, helping her fulfill the services that Connect With a Wish provides to the children in foster care. Connect With a Wish is just an overall amazing organization that has left an impacting impression on our surrounding community, by bringing more awareness to the foster care population.

Connect With A Wish has gone above and beyond to meet the needs of the foster kids in its community. It was an absolute pleasure working with them!