A Message From Gerard
affiliates such as New Zealand were reviewed.
All participants reported that it was an instructive
and helpful day. Material from the day will now
be incorporated into a training program which
we will roll out to all volunteers next year.
Gerard Menses
CEO
To ensure a wish is most effective and indeed a
life-changing experience, we must be certain that we
are capturing a child’s most cherished wish. After all,
it is the granting of their most cherished wish that will
have the greatest impact, provide the most hope and
joy, and importantly the strength they need to face
their health challenges.
At the recent conference I asked all Branch
Presidents to turn to the person next to them and
share their most heartfelt desire. There was some
hesitation, followed by a little nervous laughter.
It was at that point I cut in and indicated I was
kidding; you could immediately sense the relief,
because everyone knew how difficult it would be.
This is not dissimilar to what we do. A couple
of adults – strangers in fact – turn up to a child’s
house and then question them to find out their
most heartfelt desire. This is a huge responsibility
and we must understand that it is not always easy
to express such a desire; even harder when under
pressure.
Therefore, it was fantastic that over 20 volunteers
attended a workshop run by the Wish Services
team and psychologist and trainer, Phil Young who
generously volunteered his time. The workshop
looked at ways to improve how we communicate
with children, provided advice on how to engage
in conversation that maximises our ability to
capture a child’s most cherished wish. It also
provided an opportunity for volunteers to share the
different experiences they have had when capturing
wishes and new ideas. Materials from other
Volunteer Newsletter | October 2013
Make-A-Wish Netherlands has volunteers who
are ‘wish capturers’ and volunteers who are ‘wish
granters’. The Netherlands team insists a volunteer
cannot be both. To the Netherlands team a
capturer is a listener and counsellor; a granter is
an event manager, an outgoing, boisterous soul.
Whether we agree or not, it highlights that both
the capturing and granting are equally important
parts of the process and require different skills
and expertise. We also plan to hold workshops
on the wish granting process, but initially need
to concentrate on the capture of wishes.
Unfortunately the workshop had to be limited to
those who were in Melbourne or able to make their
own way to Melbourne, but it would be great to
learn from everyone’s experiences. So, if you have
techniques, questions or activities you believe are
effective in capturing a child’s cherished wish, then
Danielle, Team Leader Wish Services and I would
love to hear from you. Please email your ideas
to us [email protected].
Finally I would like to give a heartfelt thank you
and farewell to Joe Capozza. Joe was officially
farewelled at the Volunteer Branch Presidents’
Conference, so that his contribution could be
celebrated with many of you. Joe will finish up
on 15 November. In his final week he has kindly
offered to complete a hand-over with Sarah
Downie our incoming General Manager, Wish
Services and Volunteer Services and will share
some of his experience and insights. Joe was a
Make-A-Wish volunteer before taking on the role
of National Manager Volunteer Services. He tells
me his Make-A-Wish journey is not over yet, and
he looks forward to more volunteering ahead. ?
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