Do you have volunteer opportunities?

Do I have to live in St. Louis?

How do I apply?

Why do you need to know my background?

How long is the application process?

What kind of commitment is there?

What volunteer opportunities are available?

Are volunteers very involved with the children?

Do you have volunteer positions that aren’t emotionally demanding?

What is a Wish Granter?

What does the application process involve?

Do you have volunteer opportunities?
Volunteer are the foundation of our organization. Our chapter has 300 volunteers and only a small professional staff. A volunteer Board of Directors governs the Make-A-Wish Foundation®.
Frequently, wish families have asked to become a volunteer for the Foundation after their wish is complete. Most families decide to involve themselves in one of the following activities; volunteer wish granting and public speaking.

Do I have to live in St. Louis?
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri covers 48 counties in Central Missouri and Southern Illinois. We have headquarters in St. Louis, a program center in Collinsville and volunteer site in Breese, IL. We have volunteers in all counties, so do not feel like you must live in St. Louis to volunteer. However, there may be a few times when it is necessary to travel to the St. Louis area for meetings or training.

How do I apply?
To become a volunteer, contact Joan Burke, Volunteer Coordinator, at 800-548-5058 or info@stlouis.wish.org

Why do you need to know my background?
Because we work closely with children, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Missouri does a thorough check of all volunteer applicants. For applicants 18 years of age and older, we also perform a criminal background check through Illinois and Missouri State Police and the Dept of Children and Family Services. We are most concerned with any criminal history in regards to child abuse and/or fraud. All information received from these reports will remain confidential and be used only for screening purposes.

How long is the application process?
The whole process typically takes about 2 months depending on the timing of our training sessions.

What kind of commitment is there?
Commitment levels vary in terms of time, depending on your volunteer position. Wish Granters can sometimes put in twenty hours a week, especially when a wish is a complex one, or is reaching its delivery day, or they can spend less than an hour a week on wish work. The same applies to other volunteer positions. Wish Ambassadors may only put in two hours a month, but must flexible schedule to accommodate daytime assignments. However, all volunteers at Make-A-Wish are charged with the fragile and beautiful business of making dreams come true. It’s important and precious job, and so we do expect a high level of commitment and professionalism from our volunteers. The rewards are tremendous.

What volunteer opportunities are available?
We offer all kinds of volunteer experiences from wish granting to public speaking, to event planning and execution, to helping us out in the office.

Are volunteers very involved with the children?
Of all our volunteer positions, wish granting offers the highest level of involvement with wish children and their families. Even so, Wish Granters meet a family at the beginning and end of a wish, but may rely on telephone contacts during the rest of the wish. Our emphasis is on delivering a one-of-a-kind wish experience, rather than on developing ongoing relationships with families or children.

Do you have volunteer positions that aren’t emotionally demanding?
We know that the work we do has a high emotional content. Some people would like to help because they relate to our mission, but would prefer little or no involvement with the families. In such cases, we suggest the positions of Wish Ambassador, office team, and fundraising. All our volunteer positions contribute equally to our mission, and bring joy to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

What is a Wish Granter?
Wish Granters work in teams of two attending to the details of granting a wish. They work directly with children to plan wishes and work creatively to seek in-kind goods and services to implement the wish. The nature of each child’s wish determines the level of the Wish Granter’s involvement. Wish Granters must be at least 21 years old.

What does the application process involve?
Our application process is as follows:
1. We invite you to attend the Foundation’s volunteer program orientation, after which you fill out an application form if you are still interested in joining us.
2. We then complete a screening process, including references and criminal background check to ensure the safety of our wish children.
3. Once your application has been successfully screened we will place you in a volunteer position. Certain volunteer positions require additional training beyond the new volunteer session.

For additional information, contact our office at 800.548.5058 or e-mail info@stlouis.wish.org.