I went from faxing and observing to actually making reservations
6/17/2010
My duties and responsibilities as the Wish Intern at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Virginia are constantly
growing!! Last week was my first week and my tasks were small because I
was learning how everything worked. However, this week I’m given more
responsibilities and they feel comfortable enough assigning me my own wishes to
plan! For instance, on Monday I was still reading over paperwork and observing,
but now I am making reservations and following through with wishes!
In the beginning I felt like I had no idea what I was doing,
but now I am really comfortable with my duties and responsibilities and fell
confident in my abilities to grant wishes!!!
My first week compared to my second week, is like night and
day. The first week at I was so nervous; I was even afraid to answer the phone
and EXTREMELY scared to make phone calls. However, this week I am answering the
phone, making calls and making reservations. For instance, at the end of last
week I was given a few wish cases and all of them were missing pieces of
information from either the parents or the doctor. Therefore, it was my job to
call, mail or fax the form again in order to get the right information to
proceed with the wish. Since, so many of my cases need information before I
made reservations, I didn’t think that by the end of the week I would making
reservations, but I was.
Two of the families sent the missing paperwork in and so I took
their file to the director because I thought she would be the one to make the
reservations. As I’m sitting in her office telling her about the two families
and the information we received, she said, “Book it”. I didn’t say anything for
a few moments and some how I mumbled, “Who me”? I was in total shock that she
trusted me to book two wishes. So, I went back to my office sat down at my
computer and started finding flights. After making the first reservation the
second one was easy, but I still could not get over the fact that here I was an
INTERN and I was planning wishes!!! After having that experience and being
successful, I am now planning other wishes, as well as designing the
itineraries for the families.
I can’t believe my second week is almost over and I’m eager
to see what new challenges and responsibilities I will face next week!!!
This week I have been giving several wishes to work on,
primarily wishes to go to Walt Disney World. Planning wishes to Disney World is
fun and exciting! As I am making their itineraries I have flashbacks of when I
traveled to Walt Disney World when with my family.
I’m learning more about the legalities of granting
wishes, as well as how to communicate with people. I always thought that I had
good communications skills, but interning at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Geater Virginia , my communication
skills are put to the test…In planning a wish there are several different steps
and procedures to follow, which can be overwhelming for the family.
Specific forms are needed in order to grant a child’s wish and it is my job to explain to the family why we need a
specific form or signature filled out. Although, this task may seem simple and
easy, for some families getting a signature from the wish child’s mother/father
means that they need to talk to their ex-husband/wife, which can be very
troublesome. I never know what kind of conversations or new wishes I am going
to have when I go into work, but everyday is rewarding because I the work that
I am doing is going to bring a smile to a young boy or girls face!
I just completed the
first week of my internship at Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Virginia and I
am really enjoying it! Who wouldn’t enjoy working with an organization whose
mission is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical
conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy and has
granted over 180,000 wishes? The
Make-A-Wish Foundation is a fabulous organization that brings smiles to
children and their families when they need it the most.
My role as the Wish Intern as been assigned to handing
the majority wishes to Walt Disney World…. Once a child is referred to
Make-A-Wish and is deemed eligible volunteers will interview the family and the
wish child to figure out what their wish is, then their wish needs to be
determined medically appropriate and if it is, the planning begins!
My first week was exciting and I learned a lot about
Make-A-Wish Foundation and how much the wishes we grant mean to the kids and
their families. Although, it was only my first week I have already began to grant wishes and everyday I learn a new step in the process of granting wishes :)!!!!!
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