Lasting Impressions of the Wish Machine

The Electric Forest Wish Machine calls upon everyday heroes.

So many of us wish for change in the world today. We must be that change. When the Forest Family thinks globally, we find a place that needs kindness.

Kindness, radical acceptance, and good deeds are why The Forest is special. These values create freedom to discover ourselves and celebrate our beautiful differences and unique gifts.

The Wish Machine sparked inspiration across the globe. With over 5,000 wishes submitted, the Forest Family went out into the world and did their part to make it a better place for all - fundraising and creating awareness for mental health, rare diseases, and sustainability; donating clothing, personal items, and funds to charity drives and disaster clean up efforts; volunteering countless hours of time and energy to local humane societies, hospitals, and homeless shelters; and much more.

From planting trees and empowering communities, to starting important conversations and raising awareness, the Forest Family brought the essence of The Forest with them - to people, neighborhoods, communities, and societies across the planet.

The Wish Machine challenged the Forest Family to venture out into the world and spread positive action and good deeds. In return, those that proposed positive actions in the world also submitted wishes into the Wish Machine, asking The Forest to support them and grant their wildest dreams at EF2018. Now it’s time for The Forest to reward a few of the most incredible, world-changing, and awe-inspiring acts of kindness. Below are the Official 2018 Wish Machine Granted Wishes. Stay tuned throughout the year to watch as more wishes are granted.

Granted Wishes

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Tyler's Wish

If I... Two years ago Be The Match foundation came to my college campus and asked individuals for mouth swabs of their saliva so that they could be used to save lives. Be The Match is the National Marrow Donor program that identifies individuals who can donate their bone marrow to others who have severe life-threatening cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. I was recently chosen as a Match for a 32 year old male with leukemia. If all goes well, I will be donating my bone marrow to him at the end of this coming October (2017). Although not all patients survive the transplant, I sincerely hope that mine will.

then Electric Forest will... Allow me to set up a Be The Match booth at the Electric Forest in 2018. The Forest changes so many lives and everyone who is part of the community is always willing to help a person in need. I believe that with setting up a saliva donation booth at the Electric Forest there will be an outstanding amount of people willing to get their saliva tested and be placed on the donation registry so that they can possibly save a life in the future.

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Kathleen's Wish

If I... Continue working with the VA to fight for veteran rights in the US

then Electric Forest will... Do a secret "6 In The Forest" set with The Glitch Gob at Electric Forest 2018.

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Angelica's Wish

If I... Go to Cambodia for three weeks to install water filters in rural villages

then Electric Forest will... Provide a wristband for the Second Weekend of Electric Forest for my friend

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Ashley's Wish

If I... Start a monthly art event at the Illinois Veteran’s home, named Generation Love. It will be a program once a month in which the 300 WW2, Korean War, and Vietnam Veterans can socialize, listen to beautiful music from the forest, and get a chance to explore their creativity. Any art they make, they can either keep or they can choose to donate it back to the Forest Giving Tree. The Veteran’s (whom some have no families or visitors) will no longer feel like they are forgotten and will feel appreciated by the younger generation. Forest Dwellers will receive a special piece of art from a generation they thought didn't care about them at all. This will bridge the generation gap and spread love from one generation to the next, sparking a new generation a.k.a. GENERATION LOVE!

then Electric Forest will... Provide V.I.P. wristbands & camping for me and my squad :)

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Angela's Wish

If I... Would resign from my current job role and dedicate myself to developing the Electric Forces Program. I would create a collaborative ongoing project working with veterans who face Post Traumatic Stress issues. The program would integrate veterans into the festival landscape. It would provide networking opportunities (social/occupational), job paths, roles in production and mentorship and include collaboration with fans. Veterans would help teach EF Community on how to deal with anxiety and stress and trauma. The overarching hope is that the program would provide healing experiences for veterans and fans and create a bridge that fosters social inclusion.

then Electric Forest will... Support me in joining their amazing team and activate a small support staff to help develop this program for EF2018 and beyond.

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Zoe's Wish

If I... Organize a "last day" cleanup facebook page for both weekend one and weekend two, and encourage as many facebook friends as I can that are going to Electric Forest 2018 to join us in cleaning up. We can meet up at the trading post, split into teams, spread out to clean up what we can, and return to talk about all the amazing people we recruited to help and met along the way. If a group of people was going around picking up trash with extra trash bags I know I'd surely volunteer to help so i can only imagine that most bystanders would join in on the helpful efforts.

then Electric Forest will... Grant me access to a free wristband which will guarantee my ability to make it this magical place next year.

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Jake's Wish

If I... Plant a tree in my local community.

then Electric Forest will... Plant a tree in memory of Wally Wojack that will become known at the festival as "the Wally Tree".

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Miasha's Wish

If I... organize an ONLINE community for sober/recovery forest fam and curate a schedule of sober meditations/meet-ups and activities IN the forest promoting sobriety & support & tools/how-to's

then Electric Forest will... provide wristbands for me & a sober friend & promote sober/recovery online community via social (would be amazing to connect w/ sober artists & existing groups: Jellyfish, Pixel Buddahs, Hummingbirds, & Camp Traction).

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Odai's Wish

If I... Break the world record for "Most people dressed as superheroes" during the First Weekend. The record is currently set at 1580 and I think it's possible to break it :)

then Electric Forest will... Be part of history and a record breaking event.

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Rachel's Wish

If I... Continue to support my local underprivileged elementary school by raising funds, donating books for the children, painting a mural in their cafeteria, and volunteering with the children once a week through Girls On The Run

then Electric Forest will... Help me afford wristbands for my boyfriend and I

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Chealsie's Wish

If I... Continue to work 35 hrs of unpaid overtime weekly to set up deliveries of 1400 healthy meals per week to The Pink Ribbon Girls (Late stage breast cancer patients and their families in Ohio, Ky, and Indiana)

then Electric Forest will... Bring me on site to live the Good Life during the Second Weekend of Electric Forest 2018.

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Lucas's Wish

If I... Promise to plant a patch of maple trees every spring to help bring shade a sense of community all around

then Electric Forest will... Gift me with wristbands to The Forest!

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Aidan's Wish

If I... Acquire 50 ipods and 50 headphones, (of any generation) and load each ipod with a large array of music of different genres, I would like to walk around the streets of San Francisco and Oakland and hand them out to the less fortunate. Music is the most important thing to me in this life and I would love to share it in anyway I can. I would also like to make a video of this in hopes to inspire positive actions within people.

then Electric Forest will... Allow me to play a set, so I can further promote positivity, dance, and love.

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Allison's Wish

If I... Continue to cultivate creativity in my school by encouraging all 650 of my students to become free thinkers and passionate learners, to celebrate their own uniqueness, to utilize their creative intelligence so they may open their minds to new possibilities and understand that being different is a good thing!! If I continue to share this knowledge with teachers across my county through widespread presentations so they may too instill this invaluable knowledge in our youth so all of our students may face this ever changing world with a growth mindset and a strong faith in themselves.

then Electric Forest will... Invite me to the Second Weekend of Electric Forest 2018!

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Keith's Wish

If I... To help families affected by cancer in his local area, and spread the idea of togetherness and community during times of struggle, ideas that he says can be translated to The Forest through the healing power of people and music.

then Electric Forest will... Gift me with wristbands to The Forest!

© 2018 Electric Forest