NBC has provided tremendous support to Make-A-Wish® over the past 30+ years and the network recently played a major role in sharing the stories of Olympic wishes in London. The national network and more than 22 NBC affiliates aired stories of wish kids in London, and several NBC entities published online segments, photo galleries or wish family blogs to celebrate the largest wish-granting effort in the organization’s history. In 2012, NBC received the inaugural Douglas Kiker Award from Make-A-Wish – an honor presented to individuals and organizations in today's news, information and entertainment media who lend extraordinary efforts to extend the Make-A-Wish story to the public in ways that help grant more and better wishes.
In 1982, just two years after Make-A-Wish was founded, Kiker produced a national television segment about this new charity in Phoenix doing something different for children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. His piece caused a national sensation, and was largely responsible for the explosive growth of Make-A-Wish into the international phenomenon it is today. It inspired the creation of the first generation of Make-A-Wish chapters across the nation.