History of DCMF

In February of 1994, Deputy Sheriff Fred Chisholm and his wife Elaine lost their twelve year old daughter, Debbie, to brain cancer. That same month, the Debbie Chisholm Memorial Foundation was established to grant the wishes of seriously ill children. DCMF is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charity that originally began for the purpose of granting the wishes of sick children in the county of Riverside exclusively. DCMF incorporated in July of 1994 and has since raised over $1,000,000 dollars through fundraising events and private donations! The majority of our wish referrals come to us from the Children’s Oncology Ward at Loma Linda University Medical Center. However, we do receive some referrals from members of various communities. To date we have granted over 360 wishes which have included trips to Europe, Hawaii and Disneyworld, personal computers, Toys-R-Us shopping sprees and meeting N-Sync! We grant wishes at a moments notice and at any given time we may have multiple wishes in progress. All immediate family members are included in the child’s wish and DCMF funds all expenses.

Our commitment at DCMF is to ensure that no child referred to us will pass from this world without having their fondest wish granted. Many of our children are in remission but unfortunately we have lost some due to their varying diseases. If death does come to their son or daughter, the families have expressed their sincere gratitude for having the lasting memory of their child’s happiness during their wish experience. Children were meant to run free with their friends, go to proms, play sports and fall in love. When fate intervenes and robs them of their youth, it is organizations such as ours that steps in to help them replace frowns with smiles during their trial by fire. DCMF offers the children, along with their families, relief from what is a long, difficult and exhaustive time in their lives. We say go be a kid, enjoy your family and let us worry about the cost!

To quote a phrase, we at DCMF believe:

“WE MAKE A LIVING BY WHAT WE GET WE MAKE A LIFE BY WHAT WE GIVE”

Winston Churchill