A celebration of giving: Extra Wish turns 25

Every holiday season begins with a race to the mailbox for pals Ken Bernhardt and Tad Hutcheson.

The goal: To be the first of the two longtime friends to get their hands on the Community Foundation’s Extra Wish catalog, read the stories highlighting the unique needs – or “wishes” – of nonprofits in the metro area, and call the other pal to discuss their top five list. 

If you’re old enough to remember rushing to get the Sears holiday catalog, it’s kind of like that but for grownups passionate about doing good in their community. 

The two friends have looked forward to the annual ritual for 12 years, during which Tad, Ken and their families have contributed $124,000 toward grants that support causes that align with their values.

“The first wish we fulfilled was really exciting for the both of us because we helped Atlanta Food Bank purchase a forklift truck,” Ken said. “We were worried that someone had beat us to it, but when we called our philanthropic officer, she said that they were actually in need of two forklift trucks, so we ended up splitting the cost and bought two.”

While Ken and Tad may be unique in their good-natured competition, they are far from alone in supporting the Extra Wish program.

Marking a Silver Anniversary

Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Extra Wish has inspired scores of donors to help local nonprofits purchase items that often slip outside the operating budget but are critical to advancing their missions. Featured in the catalog through the years has been everything from musical instruments to handicap accessible fences, blood pressure monitors and much-needed appliances. 

This year to mark the silver anniversary, our Community Foundation donors will have the opportunity to grant wishes to 29 nonprofits.  

“This is such a unique and fun way for people to get together and discuss the areas where they want to make the biggest impact,” said Elyse Hammett, vice president of marketing and communications for the Foundation. “Extra Wish provides an extra ripple effect – It connects donors with nonprofits that they would otherwise not have known, providing new opportunities for partnership. In the holiday season, we call that ‘magic’.”

The Community Foundation and members of our volunteer Board of Directors collaborate together to vet each submitted Extra Wish nomination so donors can be confident that their contributions will be put to good use. 

“Extra Wish isn’t just about granting wishes,” Hammett said. “It’s also about connecting people from seemingly different backgrounds who share similar values, and bringing them together to support local organizations working to make Atlanta feel like home for everyone.”

A gift connecting parents and their babies

For years, Extra Wish provided an opportunity for Ken and Tad to get together with their wives and discuss where they wanted to direct their giving. Often, they supported causes together. At times a Wish might have resonated particularly with one of the couples in which case they would contribute to that Wish on their own. 

In 2018, the couples gifted the Grady Health Foundation nearly $10,000 to purchase four cameras for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that allowed parents to see their babies when they couldn’t be at the hospital.

After learning that there were far more cribs in the unit than there were cameras, the couples stepped up to donate another $26,000 the following year to purchase 11 more cameras. 

“Our philanthropic officer called us and offered an opportunity to see the cameras in action,” says Tad, leaning forward to subtly emphasize his point. He continues, “While we were there, the staff showed us how they rotate the cameras between 20 beds, so more parents could see their babies. As a new father, I just couldn’t believe it. We had to do more.” 

The Hutchesons, who had an infant daughter, understood the fragility of life and infancy.

“I couldn’t imagine not being able to see my baby whenever I wanted to see her,” said Janin Hutcheson. “And this was the moment we realized that we wanted to give back more, we wanted to make an even bigger impact.” 

Carrying on a legacy of giving

In 2017, Ken’s wife Kathy began battling an illness that ultimately would take her life in December 2020. 

Kathy participated as long as she could in the Extra Wish gatherings, looking forward to it every year. And after she passed away, Ken, Tad and Janin continued the tradition as a way to honor her legacy.

Ken is now engaged – and his new fiancée, Cynthia Currence, shares the excitement about giving back. She adds, “I knew that the Community Foundation addressed huge, critical needs in Atlanta — and when I learned about its Extra Wish program providing donors with small investments for big impact, I got even more excited to join Janin, Ken and Tad in their annual tradition.”

The tradition carries on. And Tad and Ken will soon be racing to their respective mailboxes. 

“The Community Foundation does a fantastic job of understanding the needs of the community and helping donors identify those needs and make wise investments within their communities,” Ken said. “And the Extra Wish book is the epitome of that.”

Shown above from left to right: Tad and Janin Hutcheson and their daughter Eliza with Cavapoo Muffy share a moment with Ken Bernhardt.