Make-A-Wish Seeks South Suburban Volunteers

Donovan, 10 of Richton Park was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Through his months of treatments and hospitalizations, dreaming about making a ninja superhero movie lifted his spirits and helped him get through the hard times. Soon after his treatment was over, volunteers from Make-A-Wish arranged for his dream to become a reality.

Make-A-Wish seeks volunteers in south Cook County to help grant wishes for local children. Bilingual volunteers fluent in English and Spanish are especially needed. With help from the community and volunteers, Make-A-Wish will grant more than 700 wishes to Illinois children this year.

Make-A-Wish Illinois is hosting a free training session for wish-granting volunteers in South Holland on Thursday, February 25 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Location details are provided upon registration. To attend the training, potential volunteers must complete the volunteer application and online training prior to attending; therefore advance registration is required. To reserve a spot, contact Tonisha Daniel at daniel@illinois.wish.org or 312.602.9413.

Wish-granting volunteers work in teams of two to plan and carry out wishes from start to finish with support from the Make-A-Wish staff. Wish granters are asked to give 10-12 hours per month to grant at least three wishes per year. All volunteers must be over 21 and submit an application, reference and background check; complete an online and brief in-person training to begin granting wishes.

Make-A-Wish® Illinois grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. For more information, visit illinois.wish.org or call 312.602.9474.