Like other charities hit by the recession, MakeAWish Foundation of the Tri-Counties needs more donations.

While cash donations would be nice, the nonprofit would rather have items such as toys, iPods and electronic games. Its toy shelves need replenishing.

Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

When wish granters visit the sick child to find out the wish of their dreams, they bring "first gifts," toys for the child and their siblings.

The toys are a way to break the ice and make the other children in the home feel included, said Shanna Wasson Taylor, Make-A-Wish's chief executive.

Wish granters, trained volunteers who want to make the wish special, also bring gifts for the sick child and their siblings when the wish is presented.

These "wish enhancements" include small toys, journals and activity books stuffed in backpacks for the child and each brother and sister to play with while traveling. About half the wishes MakeAWish grants involve plane travel.

It's those small details that mean so much, said Sean Morony, a Newbury Park dad whose 9yearold son, Cade, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy a year ago.

Tri-Counties Make-A-Wish granted Cade's wish for a Disney cruise last month. The foundation not only paid for the Caribbean cruise and airfare to Orlando for the family of four but also for ground transportation, an overnight hotel stay and cruise activities onboard. The family was also given spending money.

"We all had a blast. . . . It was much more relaxing and stress-free than a regular vacation would be," Morony said. "All our worries were gone, so it was nice."

The "first gifts" and travel toys Make-A-Wish gave Cade and his younger brother, 7-year-old Shane, made Shane feel included and special, their father said.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties collected a handful of toys to stock its shelves at the Camarillo Half Marathon, 5K and 10K in April. The fundraiser brought in more than $44,000 for the nonprofit.

But Make-A-Wish spends much of the money it raises on air travel and related expenses involved in granting wishes. Air travel is one of the largest expenses the nonprofit has, Wasson Taylor said.

Every year, the organization needs 12 million air miles to grant wishes but only a couple million air miles are donated.

This year, MakeAWish TriCounties, one of 67 chapters around the country, expects to grant 80 to 90 wishes. Since forming in 1985, the tri-counties chapter has granted more than 900 wishes. MakeAWish Foundation International has affiliates in 28 countries.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the TriCounties needs the following items dropped off at its Ventura Wish Center:

•Gift cards for bowling, movies, groceries, Best Buy

•Disposable cameras with flash, regular and underwater

•Small travel games, card games, crayons, and coloring and activity books; activities for teens are the greatest need

•Hand-held electronic games with batteries

•Portable DVD players, MP3 players, iPods

The Make-A-Wish-Foundation of the TriCounties is at 4222 Market St., Ste. D, Ventura.

For drop-off times, to donate air miles or for more information, call Shanna Wasson Taylor at (805) 676-9474, ext. 4. To refer a child for a wish, call (888) 899-9474.