Wishing the very best to our wonderful volunteers

THIS National Volunteer Week ( 8- 14 May) and on behalf of Make- A- Wish Australia I’d like to heartily thank all our invaluable Townsville volunteers.

Since 1985 our volunteers, who hail from 57 different branches, have made more than 8500 wishes come true for seriously ill children and teenagers all over the country.

Our 207 volunteers across regional and metropolitan Queensland are the first ones to meet with a child to unlock their empowering wish, they then support wish families on their wish journey ( which can be up to two years), share our stories, and hold events to much- needed funds.

This year we celebrate 37 years of Make- A- Wish, and over these years – through research and feedback from our wish families we have evolved what we do. Our volunteers do much more than grant a child’s wish.

Rather, they help deliver a powerful psychological intervention, which is a critical complement to the medical process and vital for the child to succeed in their fight against serious illness. Our volunteers truly change lives. From the moment a child starts raise thinking about their wish, the power of their imagination is unlocked.

Instead of thinking about their illness and what they can’t do, they think about what they can do; and suddenly anything becomes possible.

They gain hope. They grow in resilience and feel stronger as they progress through their wish journey.

Experiencing the impossible becoming possible helps a child believe, even when very sick, that they can regain their strength and experience a positive future.

Parents often tell us that the wish was the turning child’s treatment.

None of this vital work would be possible without our volunteers.

As an organisation funded solely by donations, with no government funding, Make- A- Wish relies on the support of the community.

So this week we say thank you to our volunteers. Thank you for being a source of strength and inspiration for really sick kids, and thank you for making the impossible possible.

GERARD MENSES, CEO, Make- A- Wish Australia. point during their