Benefit4Kids

10/15/2026

Now that the dust has settled a little, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to those who purchased tickets to the 21st Annual B4K Banquet. If you went online expecting to buy tickets this morning and were met with the news posted about a sell-out already, we are truly sorry. This is a good problem to have, and we are so grateful to be sold out 3 months early!

Not everyone has/uses FB, so we still send letters out to our mailing list. Over 700 letters were sent to that mailing list in late September. The idea was to announce the event and have most people buy their tickets online today at 9:00am to make this as fair as possible for everyone. What we didn't expect was the number of checks received prior to today for tables! Every year we step back and look at what we could do better in all aspects of this event, even after 20 years. We will evaluate this entire process for future events to make it as fair as possible for everyone; we assure you!

Full Transparency: We have held back some tickets, as we have invited several wish kid families this year. The outdoor wishes are THE REASON for this event, and we really want some of the families with us to tell their story and for you, the supporters, to see where your money is going. We have not heard from most of these invitees yet.

If you are a wish kid family that received our invite, please let us know ASAP if you would like to accept the tickets offered so we know how many extra we have to start offering to those on our waiting list. We will be opening those tickets up to our waiting list soon.

Thank you again everyone for your continued support! If you did not get a ticket, but still want to help, there are ways you still can:
- Sponsor a table at the event for $100.00
- Purchase advertising in the program
- Sponsor a raffle - contact us for details

Visit https://www.b4k.org/annual-banquet.html for details on table sponsorships and program advertising.

Benefit4Kids provides outdoor adventure for kids with cancer and diseases | Wish fulfillment organization for terminally ill kids | Benefit4Kids provides kids with advanced illness a dream wish

10/15/2026

Due to an OVERWHELMING response to over 700 letters sent to people who have attended our banquet in the last 3 years, we will not be turning on online sales today, as previously stated. We have started a waiting list - chances are some of these will become available! If you would like tickets and /or be placed on a waiting list, please contact us today! Please call 877-245-5430 and leave a message if unable to answer right away.

10/09/2026

2027 Winter Banquet and Fundraiser tickets go on sale October 15th, 2026 online at 9:00am by clicking here: https://www.b4k.org/annual-banquet.html

This is our primary fundraiser of the year and is VERY important to us as we continue our mission into 2027! As you have seen over the past few months here, we have been blessed to grant the outdoor wishes of 20 kids in 2026, as of this posting, and another 3 wishes are yet to take place in 2026. We have 6 more that have been approved and pushed out to 2027 for various reasons, and 3 more yet to be planned! This has been the busiest year ever in our 28 years of granting wishes. As a 100% volunteer organization, we rely on you for your support to make these dreams come true through this fundraiser.

There are many ways you can help, even if you can't make it, such as:
- Sponsor a table - visit link above
- Purchase Advertising space in the program - visit link above
- Donate a new item, hunts, fishing trip, unique adventure,
Sports memorabilia, gift cards for dinner, gas, stores, etc., the
ideas are endless for our raffles/auctions
- Sponsor a raffle - contact us for details

10/01/2026

Isabella from North Carolina had an outdoor B4K wish to spend time with her mom, dad, and brother at Emerald Isle Beach. After a very difficult year leading up to this wish, what a time they had!

From the perfect beach-side, easily accessible property 🏠 for the wheel chairs and extraordinary amount of luggage and equipment required, to the great meals of fresh fish 🐟, to catching their first fish 🐠 as a family together, to perfect weather 🌞 and even more perfect sunsets 🌇, to toes dipped in the sand and surf 🌊 , to visiting an aquarium, and to her brother's first swimming 🏊‍♂️ lesson, Isabelle's outdoor wish for her and family was a super success!

The family highlighted the fact that Isabelle could experience the sun, sand and ocean breeze like anyone else! The family said this trip was a Godsend for Isabelle!

B4K shares in their happiness, and we too say thank you to our thousands of Benefit4Kids supporters and our volunteers, all of whose kindness, generosity and hard work continues to allow the miracles of outdoor wishes to come true.

09/25/2026

David & Phillip are brothers from PA who both suffer from Muscular Dystrophy. We received applications from both of them, with a dream of traveling to Alaska and experiencing as much as they can. In August, B4K made this experience possible for the entire family! They went fishing, saw glaciers, visited some Dog Sled teams, interacted with the dogs, saw numerous sights, and had a wonderful time taking in Alaska's beauty and experiences as a family!

Mom wrote us after the trip: "We really loved all the views the farther we drove into Alaska, especially the ocean views, and the mountains were very beautiful. We thank you and your team for all that you planned for our family. Phillip and David really enjoyed the trip, the fresh air, and all the unforgettable memories they will carry forever. Without your team's help, we would have never been able to plan this trip. You gave us memories that we will treasure for a lifetime. Thank you for making such a beautiful difference in our lives."

09/17/2026

In March of 2026, we received an urgent wish request from the from a 7-year-old Cailen Vela. Cailen suffers from Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma, and time was critical for this trip to happen! Cailen LOVES whales and dreamed of going whale watching, something his parents said he has brought up many times over the past year.

There were many obstacles getting Cailen and his family to California with his declining health, but with the help of MANY people at the University of Michigan Children's Hospital, we were able to make this trip happen within weeks of its request and approval. Within about 4 weeks of the request, Discovery Whale Watch, out of Monterey, CA, donated a private whale-watching tour to the family for this experience! Many other special moments took place in CA for Cailen to experience with his family.....which would be one of the last family memories they would have with Cailen.

Cailen passed away 1 week after returning home from this memorable and unfortunate experience.

Cailen was a smart, bubbly, and deeply loved boy who got to experience his wish to visit the whales and make many lasting memories with his family. Cailen's mom tells us they saw 11 humpback whales and tons of sea lions, otters, and dolphins. 11 just happened to be Cailen's lucky number!

Cailen's family has formed a non-profit charity called Cailen Loves Everybody, Inc. to continue their son's legacy. This was Cailen's desire, and it will be dedicated to helping the community, providing gaming equipment to kids, and setting up a toy drop-off program!

09/04/2026

Back in June, we had the honor of granting a young lady from Michigan her wish of riding horses in the ocean! Athena's unique wish was fulfilled in Bradenton, Florida, where she and her family enjoyed horseback riding in the ocean!

Her mom says that "Athena's favorite moments were riding the horses, going to the beach, and the food she got to eat. She enjoyed riding the horses in the water the most. I think that made the trip the most meaningful because all of us were having a wonderful time, and it was a new experience that distracted us from reality."

It's moments and statements like that which make all the effort possible, and thanks to you, our loyal supporters, we are able to continue granting outdoor wishes to those in need, like Athena!

08/28/2026

We have had a very busy year granting a RECORD NUMBER of outdoor wishes in 2026 to kids from all over the United States! Trips have ranged from sending kids to Florida to swim with dolphins, offshore fishing in Key West, and riding horses in the ocean, Alaska - fishing and chasing northern lights, Arizona to see the Grand Canyon, San Diego to see humpback whales, to a unique Mackinaw Island Adventure! The year is not over, and a few hunting adventures are still to come.....

In the meantime, here are a few different pictures of the amazing adventures we have been able to provide to some of the kids, thanks to your support! We have been very fortunate to be able to provide all these wishes this year, but the reality is - we need your continued support to continue making these dreams come true!

Stay tuned for more information on the Annual Winter Banquet coming up January 23rd 2027!

08/14/2026

We are honored to have been able to provide Cailen and his family the memories they made in California whale watching! Now the recent viral FB duo of Josh & Jace have stepped up and helped Hospice of Michigan in a BIG way in Cailens memory!!

More than 350 donations flooded in from across the country after viral social media duo Josh and Jase visited pediatric hospice patients in Grand Rapids this summer.

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/hospice-of-michigan-receives-more-than-20k-donations-following-josh-jase-visit/69-32540678-ad4a-442d-b691-2d4a003b5c78?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_13_On_Your_Side

08/08/2026

The 18th Annual and final Dreamweaver Charity Salmon Tournament is now complete and we can't thank Tom and Nikie Andris, as well as all the volunteers that helped them along the way, and all the people that came to fish, buy raffle tickets, and support B4K enough! This year we had 2 captains that graciously allowed past B4K wish kids Kenzie Perry, Henry Noble, and their families aboard their boats to enjoy the event together. Thank you to Net Results Sportfishing and Meg-A-Fish Charters LLC for hosting these families! 60 boats, MANY sponsors and donors, and hours of dedicated efforts ended up with over $15K raised for B4K! That brings the 18 year total to just under $200K raised to help B4K Put the smilies on kids faces and create family memories together! Thank you to Team Dreamweaver for being a big part of this event each year and helping make it possible! Thank you EVERYONE that has been part of this over the years! The fishing community in west MI is truly something special!