Bringing Wishes to Life; Make-A-Wish Foundation is seeking volunteer wish granters

[By JoAnn R. Walter]

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York (MAWCNY), located in Syracuse, N.Y., is a group dedicated to granting life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Wishes can give children the strength to fight a critical illness and bring renewed energy to families during some of their most challenging times.   

The nonprofit serves 15 counties across the state, including Tioga County, and is reaching out to encourage individuals to apply to become volunteers.

Caitlin Alcott, MAWCNY Volunteer and Community Outreach Manager, remarked, “Volunteers help raise awareness, generate support for future wishes, and form meaningful connections with our Wish Kids and their families,” adding, “Our volunteers are passionate about making a difference for each child; they help create strength, hope, and joy throughout every wish and are committed to spreading the Make-A-Wish mission into every corner of our chapter.”

Alcott shared, “Make-A-Wish volunteers are our lifeline,” and explained that only eight MAWCNY paid employees cover their 15-county region.

In the Southern Tier alone, Alcott noted that MAWCNY has twenty Wish Kids waiting for their wishes, but only ten active Wish Granters in the region, and shared, “We are looking to add compassionate volunteers to our team to ensure that every family has the opportunity for face-to-face connections.”

Owego resident Connie Jacobs has been a volunteer Wish Granter since 1998.  A two-person team meets with Wish Kids and their families to help determine their heartfelt wishes and then works with Foundation Staff to make those wishes come true.

Sadly, Connie’s teammate at MAWCNY for 18 years, Penny Boland, passed away last December. The duo thoroughly enjoyed working together to fulfill children’s wishes.

Connie explained that back in 1998 she reached a point in her life where she was looking for something rewarding to do.  She answered a MAWCNY newspaper ad, and after meeting with Foundation staff, you could say it was meant to be.

Connie plans to continue her volunteer work as long as she can. Occasionally she travels outside of Tioga County to neighboring counties within the MAWCNY region, and she has also been involved in various fundraisers.

At first, Connie explained that she was unsure if taking on the Wish Granter role was a fit for her, but once she completed the first wish, she said she was hooked.

Although seeing what the child and family are going through can be difficult, Connie remarked, “As Wish Granters, we get a lot of joy, and it’s very rewarding and uplifting.”   

Connie reminisced about her first Wish Granter experience, which was to fulfill an eight-year-old boy’s wish of going to a Nascar race in North Carolina. The boy’s illness prevented him from being outside in the sunshine, so a Make-A-Wish location in N.C. arranged for a VIP air-conditioned room for the boy and his family. The boy was able to meet his favorite driver in the team’s pit and also rode in a parade before the start of the race.

Back home, Connie shared that there were also Wish Enhancements for the boy, such as purchasing a youth-sized Nascar jacket at an Endwell specialty store, a ride in a police car, and arranging for a local track to shut down for one hour so that the boy and his father could experience a go-kart ride without the public present.

Since then, many creative wishes have followed, and not all are trips to Disney World, such as the six-year-old boy with eye cancer who wanted a bigger ATV to ride around his yard to collect rocks and sticks, and the nine-year-old boy with brain cancer who wanted to travel European trails based on a favorite book character. More recently, a nine-year-old boy wished for a cruise to experience the world of sharks, and will be surprised with the opportunity to swim with a nurse shark.

For individuals interested in becoming a Wish Granter, Alcott explains, “Wish Granters receive specialized training to understand the full wish journey and how best to support families. From the very beginning, they work closely with wish families, helping discover the child’s wish, staying connected throughout the planning process, and ultimately sharing in the excitement of the wish reveal.”

Alcott further explained that the wish granting role typically requires about two hours per month, with slightly more time at the beginning and end of each wish.

If you’re looking for a meaningful way to give back and make a lasting impact in a child’s life, contact Caitlin Alcott, MAWCNY Volunteer and Community Outreach Manager at (315) 475-9474. You can also visit the MAWCNY website at https://wish.org/cny.