In his final campaign for the Make-A-Wish Stories of Light, Joe Kelley hoped to bring his seven-year fundraising total to $1 million, a huge goal that would require donations of some $280,000, roughly totaling the amount raised in three average years.

In the end, the 2012 campaign raised about twice that, bringing the seven-year total to more than $1.28 million.

Perhaps because it was Kelley's last week in Tulsa, perhaps because the children's stories were particularly poignant, perhaps because Tulsa just loves a good cause; whatever the reason, the Stories of Light campaign for 2012 became the most successful single fundraiser in KRMG history.

The news made Kelley and his co-workers at KRMG who worked so hard to make it all happen both grateful, and humble.

“I make a living speaking and writing words … yet, I cannot find the words now to adequately describe the gratitude that has overwhelmed me right now. Every year we’ve hit our goal and all we’ve had to do is explain the mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and ask our listeners. They’ve always supported this mission. When we set our goal of a cumulative 7-year one-million-dollar total, I was cautioned that the goal may have been unrealistic. I smiled and replied, 'Not in this community. Not in Tulsa.' I will forever cherish Tulsa and will spread the good word about this community to all who will listen," Kelley said.

The success was partially due to the most generous single donation in the history of Stories of Light.

Denise Wikoff, whose son Josh's story as a Make-A-Wish kid aired Thursday morning on KRMG, says her boss called her into the office after hearing the story.

He knew all about Josh, of course, and knew Make-A-Wish had sent the entire family to New York City to fulfill the teen's wish.

He told her he wanted to make a donation but was busy. Would she have time to run a check over to LaFortune Park, where KRMG was accepting donations?

She said sure, and he handed her the check, made out for $100,000.

"The first thing I said was 'is this right? are you sure that you want to do this?" Wikoff told KRMG. "I thought he'd made a mistake, or hadn't thought it through." But he had.

"Him seeing what Make-A-Wish did for Josh blessed him enough that he wanted to give back," she said, adding "I cried in the car, because you know my boss is an amazing man and a great giver, but you think 'that's a lot of money!' I couldn't believe that he had that big of a heart."

Her boss insisted that she not divulge his name.

Kelley began the Stories of Light campaign in 2005, shortly after coming to Tulsa.

He says he himself was a pediatric cancer patient, who heard that chilling diagnosis in 1982, at the age of 15.

Coincidentally, that same year of 1982 saw the birth of the Make-A-Wish foundation. It began in Arizona, when the state police helped a young cancer patient's dream of becoming a police officer come true.

That boy, Christopher Gracious, died the day after he received that wish-fulfilling certification.

"It's the notion of the heartache of parents whose main memories of their children are of hospital rooms, and IV's, and throwing up," Kelley says. "Make-A-Wish leaves them with other memories that are bright, and cheerful" in the event the child dies.

"How could I not be drawn to an organization like that?"

He adds that he knows first-hand the effect a major illness has on the entire family. Indeed, often it's not the sick child,  but his or her healthy siblings or the adults in the family who suffer the most heartache, stress and loss.

For a healthy sibling, having all the focus suddenly on their sick brother or sister can come as quite a blow.

The Make-A-Wish foundation is 100 percent funded by donations, it receives no state or federal money, and is not a United Way agency.

Moreover, its fully staffed by volunteers, and always needs additional help.

Anyone wishing to donate or volunteer can contact the Tulsa office at 918-492-WISH (9474).