From competitors to co‑creators of hope: Utah trades launch 'Trades for Wishes'
Business owners in Utah’s trades are teaming up with Make-A-Wish Utah to help grant children’s wishes in the state and give “the gift of hope” with a program they are deeming “Trades for Wishes.”
Leading the efforts are two would-be competitors. TruePros Heating and Air owner Katy Higgins; A Plus Garage Doors owner Carrie Kelsch; along with ServiceTitan’s brand and marketing lead, Ellen Rohr; and Summer Ehrmann of Make-A-Wish Utah — are joining forces and raising funds that will help grant wishes of Utah children across the state.
“What started as a single moment quickly became something bigger,” said Higgins.
“Other companies began asking how they could be part of it. That’s when we realized this could be more than a one-time effort — it could be a movement.”
That movement was fed by Service Titan, a software platform for trades businesses, servicing 13,000 customers across the U.S., Canada and Australia.
Rohr calls Higgins and Kelsch “super ambassadors,” a term she has dubbed for the big potential they have to make a difference with the program. She added that the passion of the trades and the organization of Make-A-Wish Utah make the whole program possible.
“Make-A-Wish Utah is very organized and formal about how donations are used, so that it’s equitable,” Rohr said. “Kids get a fair shot.”
By the end of April, 11 companies were involved, Ehrmann said, “with new partners making fundraising commitments each week.”
“This community-led initiative brings our mission to life: to grant life-changing wishes for Utah’s kids fighting critical illnesses,” said Ehrmann. “As Make-A-Wish Utah charges nothing for its services and receives no government funding, we rely on the support of Utah communities to grant Utah wishes.”
TruePros worked with Ehrmann and Make-A-Wish Utah to help grant wishes for kids like Kyson last year. The company raised $25,000, earned by setting aside $25 per install. Kyson’s wish was to go to Walt Disney World.
Kelsch also attended a wish proclamation event for Kyson, hosted by Higgins. Both Higgins and Kelsch have experienced the power of Make-A-Wish Utah, with Higgins’s daughter and Kelsch’s niece and, by extension, her daughter being wish recipients.
Higgins’ 27-year-old stepdaughter, Seattle, had her own wish granted 20 years ago.
Seattle is blind, deaf and mute, and lives full-time with Higgins and her husband. Despite her severe condition, Higgins said they are on “borrowed time” as Seattle is one of the oldest living people with her disease.
Her legacy is cemented at the Make-A-Wish Utah facility, where her story is featured in the organization’s third scrapbook and her star remains in their ceiling’s constellation.
“The work they do down there is incredible,” Higgins said.
Currently, there are more than 270 Utah children waiting for their wishes to be granted.
The group started “Trades for Wishes” with the conservative goal to raise $100,000 in 2026 — $75,000 more than what TruePros raised alone in 2025
for Kyson.
But it has quickly gained traction, and by the end of April, the program had already exceeded Higgins’ starting goal. Now, Kelsch said, they are thinking bigger for the end of the year, closer to the $1 million mark, surpassing all other Make-A-Wish Utah fundraising initiatives.
“I don’t want people to feel like they’re not big enough to contribute, and I don’t want them to feel like they’re too big to contribute,” Higgins said. “This is all about doing your part in your own way and your own time.”
Even after a devastating winter in 2026 due to lack of snow that put financial strain on many small businesses, Higgins is encouraging creative giving, big or small. Each company can work with Make-A-Wish Utah to build a customized fundraising plan tailored to the goals and values of each company.
It’s a way to give back in a different way than Utah’s trade companies are already doing, Kelsch said.
“Think about what the trades have built for you,” said Kelsch. “They build all your houses, they do all the plumbing and the HVAC and the garage doors and roofs — they build communities.”
They are inviting all trade companies in Utah to join “Trades for Wishes” and join in a large celebration on Dec. 12, on the Day of the Trades. At that event, the Trades for Wishes companies and staff will gather to surprise a Utah wish child with the news that their wish will be granted.
Higgins and Kelsch imagine a parking lot full of vans from all trades rounded up, branded apparel everywhere and a grinning kid in the middle of it — really bringing a “human element.”
Ultimately, it comes down to what that grinning kid represents. Medical studies published in the Journal of Pediatric Medicine show that kids who receive wishes do better than kids who don’t. Higgins called it “a gift of hope.”
“We’re the ones taking care of the weather, the sewer, the water, the roofs, the garage doors, the electricity,” said Higgins. “What about the children?”