SHARE ON: |
| |
| |
 |
 |
|
|
The former CEO of Make-A-Wish Iowa has been arrested on three felony charges alleging she embezzled tens of thousands of dollars from the charity that supports sick children, the group confirmed Friday.
Jennifer Woodley, 40, was booked at the Polk County Jail in Des Moines on Thursday on two counts of first-degree theft and the unauthorized use of a credit card. She was released on bond.
Months after becoming its leader, Woodley secretly awarded herself a 10,000 bonus in October 2019 that had not been approved by the board, according to criminal complaints unsealed Friday.
The bonus, which Woodley added to a list of legitimate bonuses earned by other employees, cost the organization 15,540 in all, police said.
Woodley also made 84 unauthorized purchases on an organization credit card that were for her personal use, totalling more than 23,000 over a 10-month span, the complaints state. Woodley allegedly did not reimburse the group for those expenses.
The organization announced last summer that it had discovered financial irregularities during a compliance review and that Woodley had been dismissed after serving as president and CEO for just over one year.
Based in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale, the Iowa group is one of 60 chapters of Make-A-Wish America, which works to provide support and memorable experiences for children with critical illnesses and their families.
Dave Farnsworth, the board chairman for Make-A-Wish Iowa, said the organization swiftly dismissed Woodley and notified police after discovering the problems last July. He said the organization was deeply saddened and disappointed by the events that led to charges against Woodley.
We thank the Urbandale Police Department for its investigation into this breach of Make-A-Wishs ethical standards and policies, and we will continue to co-operate with law enforcement, he said. We know that we have an obligation to safeguard every dollar given to us.
No attorney was listed for Woodley in online court records. Each charge she faces is a class C felony that carries up to 10 years in prison.
Make-A-Wish Iowa has an annual budget of 4 million, a staff of 16 employees and is governed by a 17-member volunteer board.
During Woodleys tenure, the 35-year-old chapter granted its 4,000th wish for a child and said it planned to grant about 170 wishes for children per year.
Jail records list Woodleys new address as Winston Salem, North Carolina, where her husband, Matt Woodley, is an assistant basketball coach at Wake Forest.
The couple has had two daughters who have required brain surgery, and one of them received a trip to Walt Disney World through Make-A-Wish Iowa before Woodley was hired as CEO.
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
6 am |
| -11 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NNE 11 KM/H
GUSTING TO 18 KM/H |
|
|
|
7 am |
| -12 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NNE 10 KM/H
GUSTING TO 19 KM/H |
|
|
|
8 am |
| -12 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NNW 11 KM/H
GUSTING TO 15 KM/H |
|
|
 |
9 am |
| -13 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: N 12 KM/H
GUSTING TO 21 KM/H |
|
|
|
10 am |
| -14 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: N 12 KM/H
GUSTING TO 23 KM/H |
|
|
|
11 am |
| -14 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NNW 12 KM/H
GUSTING TO 21 KM/H |
|
|
|
12 pm |
| -15 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NW 15 KM/H
GUSTING TO 22 KM/H |
|
|
|
1 pm |
| -15 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
WIND: NW 18 KM/H
GUSTING TO 25 KM/H |
|
|
|
 |
TODAY |
HIGH OF -5 ℃
LOW OF -17 ℃ |
| LIGHT SNOW |
|
|
|
SUNDAY |
HIGH OF -17 ℃
LOW OF -27 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
|
MONDAY |
HIGH OF -6 ℃
LOW OF -26 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
|
TUESDAY |
HIGH OF -1 ℃
LOW OF -16 ℃ |
| LIGHT SNOW |
|
|
|
WEDNESDAY |
HIGH OF -16 ℃
LOW OF -27 ℃ |
| LIGHT SNOW |
|
|
 |
THURSDAY |
HIGH OF -22 ℃
LOW OF -29 ℃ |
| FEW CLOUDS |
|
|
|
FRIDAY |
HIGH OF -8 ℃
LOW OF -22 ℃ |
| OVERCAST CLOUDS |
|
|
|
SATURDAY |
HIGH OF 3 ℃
LOW OF -11 ℃ |
| BROKEN CLOUDS |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
| Hostinger New Year Sale – Start 2026 Online Strong! |
| |
| Ring in 2026 with Hostinger! Save on hosting, domains, and online tools to kick off the year with a strong digital presence. |
| |
| New Year deals won’t last—shop Hostinger now! |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
 |
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
THE FIGHT
06:38 AM |
|
 |
OUR MIRAGE
DONT TALK
06:35 AM |
|
 |
CANTERVICE
POINT OF NO RETURN
06:32 AM |
|
 |
MASS SKY RAID
ARROWS
06:27 AM |
|
 |
GUNS N ROSES
MR BROWNSTONE
06:24 AM |
|
 |
THE TREWS
LOTTA WORK LITTLE LOVE
06:21 AM |
|
 |
HIGHSOCIETY
DEAD BY DAWN
06:18 AM |
|
 |
ASKING ALEXANDRIA
I AM ONE
06:11 AM |
|
 |
STARSET
CARNIVORE
06:08 AM |
|
 |
NIRVANA
COME AS YOU ARE
06:04 AM |
|
 
 |
