What is your position, and how long have you been working at Make-A-Wish Minnesota?
I’m the Volunteer Services Manager, and I’ve been working here since late June.

What is the most rewarding aspect of working at Make-A-Wish?
I love getting to meet new people who are passionate about doing good, and learning all the logistics involved to help make a wish come true—it’s like a Rubik’s cube made of people!

What is one of your favorite wish experiences
Though I’ve only been here a short time, it’s already so hard to choose! Volunteers have shared so many amazing stories with me, and I’ve read through many others as I’ve gotten familiar with the Raiser’s Edge database. If I had to narrow it down, I’d have to say that my little geek heart went pitter-pat when I got to see footage from Alexander’s Star Wars fan film. Love that creativity and joy!

Are there any personal, fun facts you'd like to share?
As a former Navy brat, I’ve lived in Illinois, Montana, Florida, and Japan; I came to Minnesota for college and ended up loving it so much I decided to stay. Currently, I live in St. Paul with my partner, our dog Cooper, and about a dozen heirloom tomato, hot pepper, and basil plants. I’m a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America with several published short stories; the next one forthcoming will be “The Haunting of the Plaza de la Beneficencia Pinkberry” in Professor Charlatan Bardot’s Travel Anthology to the Most (Fictional) Haunted Buildings in the Weird, Wild World, coming this fall!

What advice (if any) would you give to new volunteers?
At this point, I’m still taking advice from a lot of them! One thing I would urge people to do is to seek out and take advantage of all existing resources. Staff and volunteers have created so many amazing tools, guides, and treasuries; in the Resources section of Wish Wednesday, there’s the toy closet request form, Wish Idea books in English and Spanish, a one-stop shop of amazing boost ideas, craft resources, and that’s just scratching the surface!