Volunteer

A wish granter is the first face of Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas to a wish family. Wish granters work with a partner to meet with the child and their immediate family members to help determine the child’s most heartfelt wish, while completing all required wish-related paperwork and work with Make-A-Wish staff to make that wish a reality. Additional training required for this role.

Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas offers a variety of unpaid internships to provide opportunities for students and recent graduates, to receive academic credit and/or valuable work experience in the nonprofit field. Students must be a junior or senior to apply. Internships are located in the St. Louis, MO office headquarters. Available internships can include administrative, fundraising/events, marketing/communications, and mission delivery/wish granting. Interested in learning more about our internship opportunities? Email abare@mokan.wish.org

Help facilitate wish experiences for non-English-speaking wish families by accompany a fellow wish granting volunteer on a wish visit, assist in determining the child's wish, and help the wish family understand the wish paperwork packet. 

Volunteers lend their time to help with Make-A-Wish® events. Event volunteer roles vary from event to event. Interested in volunteering for a local event? Find upcoming events on Our Events page.

Use your professional skills and knowledge on an as-needed basis to provide much-needed skills such as reading and writing in multiple languages, graphic design, photography, videography, landscaping, construction, painting, carpentry and more! Skill-Based Volunteers are needed across Missouri & Kansas.

Present key information and share stories about Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas to increase support and educate audiences on our mission. Email Brian Miller at [email protected] for more information.  

Open to wish alum and their families, represent Make-A-Wish at a number of external outreach and fundraising events to share your wish experience. If you are interested in learning more about this volunteer opportunity, please email Brian Miller at [email protected].

Currently, we have a vital need for volunteers who meet any of the following criteria:

• Bilingual speakers (English and another language)
• Live in the Kansas City, Wichita or Springfield regions
• Well versed in virtual platforms (Zoom, Facetime, Skype, etc.)

Volunteers who believe in and adhere to our values are our best fit. Our values are: Integrity, Child Focus, Excellence, Community and Inspiration. 

• Integrity: We approach every aspect of our work with unwavering standards of honesty, transparency and respect for wish recipients, their families and supporters. 
• Child Focus: Our business practices always put the interests of wish children first. 
• Excellence: We aspire to have best-in-class business practices, and we embrace the challenge to exceed expectations at every opportunity. 
• Community: We foster a collaborative, global community of staff, volunteers and donors with the collective ability to make the broadest possible range of wishes come true. 
• Inspiration: We are inspired by the examples of our wish kids and the actions of the entire Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas community to approach our mission with life-affirming enthusiasm, imagination, and creativity.

Yes! Many volunteers lead busy and active lifestyles with personal and professional commitments. Volunteer opportunities are self-selected and project oriented. Flexibility is key as there will not be consistent, set volunteer hours.  

Wish granters schedule a time to meet with our wish families based on the family’s schedule as well as their own. Event volunteers can select specific events and times based on their schedule.

Because we work closely with children, Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas requires that all wish granting volunteers submit to and pay a fee of approximately $26.00 for a criminal background check. More information will be sent to volunteers after completion of the Volunteer Application and interview. All information received from these reports will remain confidential and be used only for screening and placement purposes. 

Make-A-Wish® policy prohibits our chapter from using the services of a volunteer if the individual has been convicted of a crime that victimizes children, is sexual in nature and/or involves violence, fraud or significant theft. 

If you have any questions regarding this policy, contact Volunteer Services at [email protected]

Although all official volunteers must be 18 years old, there are a number of other volunteer opportunities including hosting a fundraising event or organizing a fundraiser at school through our Kids For Wish Kids program. Email [email protected] for more information.

We have several opportunities for groups to support Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas! To learn more, please click here.

Wish granters assist with the wish process by meeting with the family, helping the child determine the wish and acting as an extension of Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas. This volunteer role is best suited for anyone 18 and over with warm energy, a compassionate heart and the ability to give freely of their time. Volunteers must be positive, outgoing, comfortable in a variety of social situations and passionate about children and our mission. It is also important that Volunteers are adaptable and accepting of lifestyles and situations different than their own as well as the unpredictability of wish family needs. 

Wish granter trainings are specialized trainings that consist of an overview of Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas, the wish granting process, meeting with wish families and planning a wish. Find upcoming wish granter training dates on Our Events page. 

No, wish granters do not travel with the family. There are 59 other Make-A-Wish chapters around the country and many international affiliates. When we send a wish family to another state or country, that chapter or affiliate will help facilitate the wish.