Ride Captain & Chairman of Wish Riders

As an Arizona Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol officer, Frank Shankwitz met a little boy that would change his life and the lives of children throughout the world. As a result, Shankwitz and others formed the Make-A-Wish Foundation to give hope, strength and joy to children facing life-threatening medical conditions. Shankwitz continues to be involved as a Wish Ambassador for the National Foundation. He remains involved in the law enforcement community, serving as a Reserve Detective for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Investigator for the Prescott Police Department Cold Case Homicide Unit, and as a Search and Rescue Coordinator/Board Member for the Yavapai County Mounted Sheriff's Posse. Frank serves as a consultant for the Wish Riders television show where he helps to oversee interaction with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, local chapters and law enforcement agencies providing assistance to the Wish Ride. In addition, Frank is the Chairman of the newly formed Wish Riders Foundation which hopes to generate donations for charities such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, its local chapters or other worthy causes through its operations of Wish Ride motorcycle rallies.

"The very first fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation was a motorcyle rally."

Raised in northern Arizona, Frank graduated from Prescott High School in 1961. In 1972, following a four year enlistment in the U.S. Air Force and employment for Motorola, Inc. in Phoenix, Frank joined the Arizona Department of Public Safety and upon completing the academy, was assigned to the Highway Patrol Division and sent to Yuma, Arizona. It was while stationed in Yuma that Frank became involved in working with children, coaching disabled children for the Special Olympics programs. In 1974, Frank was asked to join the newly formed Arizona Highway Patrol motorcycle program and completing training, was assigned back to the Yuma area.

In 1975, Frank was transferred to the Phoenix area to be part of a new 10-man motorcycle Tactical Unit, which would work throughout Arizona. For the next 10 years, whenever assigned to small towns, Frank would visit the local grade schools and talk about bicycle safety and then let the children sit on Highway Patrol motorcycle, which for the children, was more fun then listening about bicycle safety.

In April, 1980, Frank was contacted by a fellow officer, advising that a 7-year-old boy named Chris was dying from leukemia and only had a few days to live. Chris had one wish – to be a police officer when he grew up. Frank was one of the officers from the U.S. Customs Service and Arizona Highway Patrol responsible for granting Chris’ wish, which included flying Chris from his hospital to the Highway Patrol headquarters in a Highway Patrol helicopter. Chris sat on Frank’s motorcycle and helped drive a Highway Patrol car, and then he was made the first and only Honorary Arizona Highway Patrol Officer in Arizona, complete with a tailor-made uniform, badge, hat and uniform motorcycle wings. Chris succumbed to his illness a few days after receiving his wish and was buried with full police honors in Illinois, with Frank and fellow DPS motorcycle officer Scott Stahl leading the funeral procession on bikes provided by patrol officers there. Returning from Illinois, Frank and Scott started thinking how happy Chris was as his wish became true and how the wish seemed to ease some of the pain, replacing it with smiles and laughter. They started thinking if we could do that for one child, why couldn’t we do that for other ill children, let them make a wish, and we’ll make it happen.

Frank and other volunteers, founded the Chris Greicius Make-A-Wish Memorial – which later became known as the Make-A-Wish Foundation – in November 1980, with Frank as the President/CEO. The first official wish was granted in March 1981, and Frank made a bold predication to the small board of directors that someday the Make-A-Wish Foundation would grant wishes to children all over the world. Thirty years later, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America has grown to 65 chapters that grant wishes to children in every state, and Make-A-Wish Foundation International grants wishes to children in 34 countries on five continents.

Around the world, more than 240,000 wishes have been granted since 1980.

Frank retired as a homicide detective from the Arizona Department of Public Safety after 37 years of service. Frank was asked to return to the Arizona Department of Public Safety as a reserve detective and consultant, a position he holds today. Frank is also a member of the Prescott Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, is the search and rescue coordinator for the Yavapai County Mounted Sheriff’s Posse, and is on the board of directors for the Yavapai County Silent Witness program. In 2004, Frank received The President’s Call to Service Award from President George W. Bush for service and civic participation, and recognition and appreciation for commitment to strengthen our nation and for making a difference through volunteer service.

Frank continues to volunteer with the Make-A-Wish Foundation as a Wish Ambassador for the national organization, speaking at events around the country. Frank is also a board member and wish granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona. He continues to reside in Prescott, Arizona. His two adult daughters and three grandchildren reside in Ohio.