Behind The Wish - Zoe Flynn

I was on sites like seek.com.au and other sites trying to look through volunteering options but none felt right, until I found Make-A-Wish. And because I love children and they like me, it just felt right.

So, I applied and they got back to me and it just all fell into place. I wanted to do some good and Make-A-Wish resonated with me.

I work 9 to 5 but do so much overtime and even client liaison on the weekend so I felt like I couldn’t commit to an in-person thing, but then I saw there was the option of volunteering online.

I could do it from home, in my spare time and I didn’t have to go anywhere. It just seemed to fit perfectly.

I am the Volunteer Care Coordinator of our team, which is called the Virtual Star Catchers. I am still really new. Lesley Prout, the Wish Granting Coordinator, has been helping me so much.

It’s still doing all the Wish capturing, the only extra thing that I keep an eye on is the new volunteers.

I will pair them with another person to train them and I will help train and mentor them myself and keep an eye on their training records. It’s just a matter of being someone for the newbies to go to. I love training, I do it in my job too.

My other favourite wish was a little girl, only 5, who was partially non-verbal. We couldn’t really have conversations but she would interact with me, she would show me all her pictures.

At first, I think she wanted a ball pit or something like that but we went back and during the second wish capture meeting she wanted a groodle puppy. The puppy would be a constant friend for her, because she can’t communicate with other children.

And she wants to name the puppy 'Potato'. I just think it’s so sweet.

While I couldn’t talk with her, her mum would translate for us but I still felt so connected with her. Just to see her so excited …. it was communication beyond words.

I have only seen two or three wishes realised. It takes such a long time but I really can’t wait for her to get her puppy.

I think my favourite part of the wish capture is when they are telling us about their wish. We are bringing joy into their life and we are there just for them. How many times in life do you have someone who just wants to sit there and listen to what you have to say?

Being an adult and asked about your favourite colour is not such a big deal but for a kid, they feel so special. They think to themselves: ‘They want to know my favourite colour?’ I love asking them questions like that and seeing their faces light up.

The wish reveal is great too, because they can’t stop smiling.

I had one wish mum email Make-A-Wish head office the next day saying that her son, the wish child, was telling all his friends about his new friends at Make-A-Wish and he couldn’t stop smiling and talking about it.

It may not seem much, sitting at home and writing down some words about their wish but in their lives, the wish is a huge turning point and pinnacle. It is one of the best things in their life so far.

It is just so important and I love being a part of it.

I have always been quite an empathetic person and volunteering for Make-A-Wish makes you think that little bit more about other people and what they are going through. Just to be a little bit kinder. You do think about the wish families and sometimes I’ll just check in and see how they are going.

You definitely think about others more and what the children are going through. Even though they may be having one of the worst days of their lives, they still want to get online and chat to you about their wish.

I definitely feel gratitude for being part of something like this. It’s just such an important organisation. It makes me feel so happy and honoured to be part of these journeys with families.

Nothing makes me more excited to see these wishes come to fruition.

I tell every kid they have an amazing wish and I wish I could be part of it. They may think it’s a line but it’s really not, I really wish I could be there right at the end and see their faces.

It is such a unique feeling to be part of Make-A-Wish. I can’t compare it to anything.

It’s a wonderful, fulfilling, selfless feeling. When else can you see a child smile like that? Or talk so excitedly? The Make-A-Wish experience is one of a kind.

There are some experiences that are close but having a child tell you about their cherished wish and seeing the hope on their faces is really incomparable.

I do find time for Make-A-Wish as I don’t want any of the wishes to be delayed. So, if I can fit in Make-A-Wish duties, I will. I will move things around if I have to. Sometimes I do wishes from work.

Wish families will have things on so I try and be flexible. I don’t want a wish delayed. I want to get my report in and I want to get it in now so we can get started and make it happen.