wish granter training

have you ever felt like you needed to do more?  not in a daily routine sort of way but in a big life way?  i always feel so grateful for the life i’ve been given and guilty that so many people have real struggles.  not that i don’t have my fair share of life happening but it’s small in comparison to what many others have to deal with, ya know?i’ve always felt called to serve others.  whether it’s by volunteering a local shelters or collecting stuffed animals for the children’s hospital or packing bag lunches and delivering them to people on the streets, it’s something i love to do.  yet, i still feel like i can always do more, do better. serving others helps me keep my feet on the ground.  it gives me a clear vision of what’s important in life and what’s not so important.a couple months ago, an instagram friend posted about some work she was doing with the make-a-wish foundation.  of course, i’d heard of make-a-wish, i think everyone has, but i’d never really put much thought into what they did exactly.  i knew they granted wishes for kids that were sick and admired that work but that’s all i knew.  after her post, i private messaged her a question or a hundred and was so excited to learn that “regular” people could get involved in the whole wish process!i looked up my local chapter and applied to be a wish granter.  then, as i awaited their response, i watched a gazillion youtube videos on wish reveals and bawled my eyes out.here’s a few of favorites:

• parker’s star wars wish reveal
• make-a-wish moments
• ashanti’s make-a-wish surprise
• kamille’s wish
• the rock’s make-a-wish surprise 
• the rock grants another wish

later that month, i attended my wish granter training.  make-a-wish was already amazing in my mind but learning more about the process of wish granting and how hard this foundation works to make each wish as unforgettable as possible blew my mind.  talk about people with big hearts!we learned all about the wish process and role played different scenarios with our team, we familiarized ourselves with the different forms and do’s and don’t’s of wishes.  it was humbling and thrilling all at once.  just the thought of being able to play even a small part in making a child’s wish come true is an tremendous honor!a common misconception is that only children with terminal illnesses can make a wish but it’s actually open to anyone 2-18 with a critical illness.  many of the wish kids grown up to be wish granters!  how cool is that?!now, i’m waiting to be able to choose my first wish kid and help make their wish come true.  check back to continue this fairy godmother experience with me!if you’re interested in getting involved with the make-a-wish foundation, click here to find your local chapter.