Make A Wish - Arizona

Rotary Host: Tony Sambol

After working in the family art business for several years, Karny began her fundraising career in Santa Fe, NM in 1995. Over the next two decades, Karny raised money for various charities serving children and youth in Kansas City and San Diego before coming to Arizona in 2009 to work for Phoenix Children’s Hospital. At PCH, she lead the capital campaign to build the Southwest Valley Specialty & Urgent Care Center in Avondale.   

In February 2013, Karny became the Chief Development Officer for Make-A-Wish® Arizona, the founding chapter of Make-A-Wish®, the international wish granting organization that grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions enriching the human experience with hope, strength and joy.

Karny received her B.A. from the Univ. of Colorado, Denver in Political Science, with a minor in German, and her Masters in Public Administration, with an emphasis in Non-Profit Management from the Univ. of Missouri, Kansas City. She has served on numerous boards in the Valley including the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona and Phoenix 100 Rotary Club.

She lives in Phoenix with her lab mix, Grace Valentine, and has 10 nieces and nephews for whom she works hard to maintain her “Auntie of the Year” status.

Read more about Make A Wish Arizona here.