Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties has a critical need for 37 new volunteer wish granters throughout the Tri-Counties, especially in Santa Maria, Oxnard, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Camarillo, Newbury Park, Moorpark, Paso Robles and Santa Paula.
Half of those new wish granters need to be bilingual to provide full coverage to the 75-plus wish children expected to be served throughout the county in the coming year. Volunteer applications are due in each area as follows:
» VTA Wish Granters — Oct. 1
» SLO Wish Granters — Jan. 1
» Santa Barbara Wish Granters — Feb. 1
Volunteer wish granters are the heart of the foundation. Wish granters meet with the wish child and their family to learn the heartfelt wish of the wish child. They go out in teams of two to work with a wish family.
All wish-granting volunteers must complete a background check, online orientation classes as well as six hours of training. This position requires a strong commitment to the mission of the foundation and a broad set of skills that cross into several areas, including fund development, finance, wish granting and communications. Maturity, compassion, strong communication skills — particularly with children, positive attitude, ability to be resourceful, creative and reliability are absolutely essential.
The amount of time required to fulfill a wish varies, depending on the child’s wish and the amount of preparation the volunteer needs to do to create the magic for each wish. Wish granters must have dependable transportation and must check their email at least weekly.
Click here to learn more and submit a volunteer application. If you have questions after reviewing the website, call Candice at 805.676.9474 x0.
— Shanna Wasson Taylor is the CEO of Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties.