We are now open for new Wishes . . . Below are the 2020 Christmas Season Rules & Guidelines, which are subject to change as needs may arise.

General Guidelines . . .

Rule One:

Read, review, and follow our Community Guidelines. Violations of our Community Guidelines may result in suspension or block from our FB page, group, and PAW website, solely at the discretion of PAW Admins. Please play nice, be kind, be honest, and enjoy the Spirit of Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all Humans and all Life on this planet.

Rule Two:

Only One Wish per household. This year we have new categories, depending on the composition of the household.

• Children and Teens – for households composed of only children and teens ages birth to age 18.

• Disabled Adults/Seniors – for households consisting of only disabled adults and/or seniors, 19 and older.

• Family – for those households who may have a mix of children, teens, and disabled adults and seniors.

When making your wish please choose the appropriate category depending on your individual household composition.

Please post your Wish(s) on the Make-a-Wish page, not in comments, forums, public messages, or anywhere else but the Make-a-Wish page.

Any exceptions to Rule Two, such as a disabled/senior adult household not having internet access, or are otherwise unable or incapable of making their own Wish, will require PAW Admin approval, each case decided on its own merits.

Rule Three:

Please be reasonable in Wishes. Although this year we have loosened the prohibitions a bit, keep in mind that modest Wishes are more likely to be granted. Asking for big ticket items such as gaming consoles, large TVs, vehicles, boats, real estate, precious metals, and other ridiculousness, etc., though not prohibited, will obviously and significantly decrease the chances of having that Wish granted. Of course a billionaire could stop by and grant everyone’s wishes lol, but not likely. 🙂

Prohibitions: No firearms, weapons, ammunition, archery, no live animals, nothing illegal to possess, nothing that would be deemed unsafe by reasonable adults or consumer protection agencies. That said, PAW is not responsible for any private arrangements between Wishers and Grantors. Please use discretion and common sense.

Each Wish has a “flag” that can be enabled that informs the PAW Admins that something may be amiss. When five flags accumulate on any Wish, it is automatically disabled pending PAW Admin investigation. Please, Truth and Honesty only . . .

Rule Four:

Be Safe. Use common sense and discretion when dealing with people you may not know well. While we know the overwhelming majority of Grantors to be kind, generous, good human beings who give from the goodness of their heart, family safety and security requires us to be wary at times. Simply, take care and caution to protect your family.

Of course, during this pandemic year, we should also take additional precautions recommended by all public health agencies and experts — please practice social-distancing, wear masks, or practice no-contact delivery of Wishes, to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

Additional Guidelines:

While we know the vast majority of Wishers and Grantors are honest, sincerely in need, and are goodhearted and generous, PAW history has taught us that some may try to scheme and scam the PAW Community. Any dishonesty in household composition, making Wishes for someone not living in your household without PAW Admin approval, or other schemes, scams, such as selling donated items on flea market sites, or any other fraudulent representation, cannot and will not be tolerated.

Rules Addendum

1. You must use your full, real name on your Wish. It will not be visible to others until they become a member of the PAW community and login to the PAW.org website. You must ensure that both first and last names are in the “Name” field of your PAW.org profile. Failure to do so may delay approval of your Wish, unless your name is Madonna, Sting, Bono, J-lo, Adele, Oprah, or Cher.
2. Make-a-Wish for your own children only. The children must physically live with you and you must be the parent/guardian. Only one parent/guardian can Make-a-Wish for the children in the household, in other words multiple people cannot Make-a-Wish for the same children.
3. Keep your wish as short as possible. Do not reveal specific personal information in your public Wish, i.e., no names, phone numbers, street addresses, email addresses, or other personally-identifiable personal info that may violate your own right to privacy. Save this type of information for private messages with any prospective Grantors. We have a built-in messaging system that can be used for initial private communications on-site.
4. Please be patient as we have a lot of wishes to go through once we open the site. Wishers — Please keep in mind that there are no guarantees that your wish will get granted. Please do not message us asking if your wish will be or has been granted. That depends entirely on the kindness and generosity of our Grantors. We merely provide a match-making platform for Wishers and Grantors to find each other. Once a Grantor indicates that they will Grant a Wish, that Wish will be moved out of your initial category to the “In-process” category by the PAW Admins. Then once delivery is confirmed will be moved to the “Granted” category.
5. [REDACTED] You may ask for help on ONLY ONE help site. There are many others similar to PAW.org, such as Helping Hands of Cambria/Somerset, Friendly Neighbors, and many others with whom we coordinate and communicate. If you are found to have posted on another site(s), you will be given the option to pick which site you want to keep your Wish on. This also applies to asking for the same items on Freecycle and flea market sites.
6. Do NOT Post items for sale or offer to sell something to someone on Pick A Wish. We may in the future offer a completely separate section for paid Classified Ads, but for now please post your sale items on Flea market sites. Pick-a-Wish is a charitable site, not meant for commercial or business activity.
7. Any expense involved in no-contact delivery, such as postage, or other shipping costs, are to be paid by the Grantor.
8. Prohibited in public PAW.org Wishes: Requests for prepaid debit cards, store gift cards, cash, or any other purely-monetary financial instruments. That said, PAW.org is not responsible for, nor has any control over, any private arrangements between Wishers and Grantors.
9. Prohibited in public PAW.org Wishes: Live animals, although pet foods, toys, and supplies are not prohibited. That said, PAW.org is not responsible for, nor has any control over, any private arrangements between Wishers and Grantors.
10. Prohibited in public PAW.org Wishes: Used cribs, mattresses, or expired car seats due to legal and safety concerns. That said, PAW.org is not responsible for, nor has any control over, any private arrangements between Wishers and Grantors. Please ensure any private arrangements follow the guidelines set forth in this article, to ensure there have been no safety recalls, etc., and under no circumstances should any drop-side cribs be given, as they have been illegal since 2011.
11. Food and holiday meals are appropriate and permitted, at the discretion of the Grantor.
12. Gently-used items in clean, excellent condition are permitted. Used items that may be a safety hazard, dirty, broken, smelly, moldy, etc., are prohibited. That said, PAW.org is not responsible for, nor has any control over, any private arrangements between Wishers and Grantors. Grantors, please inform the Wisher if the proposed used item(s) has been exposed to smoke or pet dander, due to possible allergies. The delivery of pre-owned items should be discussed privately beforehand between Wisher and Grantor who should use their own common sense and discretion.
13. PAW.org will stop accepting new Wishes for the 2020 Christmas Season on or about December 15th in order to allow Grantors time to choose and Grant Wishes before Christmas Eve. The countdown timer will show the remaining days, hours, and minutes until the Make-a-Wish system closes.
14. Please do not message PAW.org Admins concerning whether or not your Wish will be Granted. We hope all Wishes are Granted, but we don’t know and can offer no guarantees. This is ultimately up to our Grantors.
15. PAW.org Admins are all volunteers and all have personal lives and families outside of PAW matters. We will make every effort to have someone on duty around-the-clock but there may be times when Wish moderation or messages cannot be responded to immediately, so your patience is appreciated.
16. Any questions or help regarding subjects not already addressed in these rules may be posted in the appropriate forum and a PAW.org Admin will follow up with you in a timely manner. We are here to help!
17. In general, PAW.org is not responsible for, nor has any control over, any private arrangements between Wishers and Grantors. who are solely responsible for any private arrangements that take place off the PAW.org website, or Facebook page or group.
18. All Rules and Guidelines are subject to change at any time. Some exceptions may be made, at the sole discretion of PAW Admins.

It is with sincere thanks and utmost gratitude for our Grantors to do this. Without you, this would not be possible. You are bringing smiles on young and old faces and that is priceless. We hope each and everyone one of you have a great Holiday Season.

Thanks in advance everyone, and have a Merry 2020 Christmas, Hannukah, Eid, or even Festivus Season!

The Pick-a-Wish Admins