What could be a better job than making kids' wishes come true? This was the question I asked myself freshman year of college. I had just seen yet another adorable video of a child getting to fulfill his lifelong dream, and needless to say, it gave me warm fuzzies all around. There was something inside me that sparked, something that I knew I wanted to do. And that was to intern at Make-A-Wish Foundation.
For those of you who don't know, Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that grants wishes to kids with medical life-threatening conditions. The scope of wishes is incredible, as kids get the opportunity to travel the world, meet their favorite celebrity, become the profession of their dreams and so much more. You name it, and Make-A-Wish will try its hardest to make it happen.
After having my heart set on this organization, I quickly took to Google to find out how I could be involved. The stars aligned for me, and I found that the Central and South Texas chapter was looking for interns. I applied, interviewed and just like that, I had my dream summer internship.
As a program intern for Make-A-Wish foundation, I assisted with the planning of all wishes. From travel arrangements to itineraries, medical paperwork to family phone calls, there are more details that go into wish planning then I could have ever imagined.
Here is the (quick) rundown:
Once a child gets referred to Make-A-Wish, the volunteer director will send out two wish granters to the family's home in order to interview the wish child. Here, the wish granting volunteers will find out what the kid's one true wish is. Once they have gathered this information, they return the information back to the office. Each wish kid will then get assigned to a wish manager, who will coordinate all aspects and details of the wish. They play a huge role in making sure that their wish kid has the best experience possible.
There are no words to describe the amazing feeling of telling a family that their child will be granted their one most heartfelt wish. Somehow, telling a family that they're going to Disney World for the 100th time just never gets old. The excitement, happiness and pure joy that I got to hear in their voices made my heart overflow.
Working at Make-A-Wish gave me a deep appreciation for all of the hard work that goes into the operations of a non-profit organization. The kids that I have gotten to meet through Make-A-Wish are some of the sweetest souls I have ever met. They each have filled my heart with their precious smiles and warm hugs. I'm not sure how many other internships can compete with that.
If you are interested in learning more visit: http://cstx.wish.org/
