I have heard of wishuponahero as a 'wishing well' and greedyorneedy.com...I also know an online group that refers people to a place called modestneeds.org.
A lady I know from eBay won on one of those two sites, I am not sure which, but she was given special sports equipment she wished for, something for her autistic child. So sometimes they work! Good luck to your friend.