Darin Chin: Quiet Craftsman of Wishes
by Corey Black
For more than seven years, Darin has been a steady, behind-the-scenes volunteer force for Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. Whether he’s helping set up events or bringing room makeover wishes to life, his reliability, craftsmanship, and quiet leadership make him an invaluable part of our wish community.
As a retired, union-trained floor installer, Darin brings his hands-on expertise to every wish he supports. From flooring to finishing work, he’s often the go-to person when a room makeover wish calls for skilled problem-solving. And when he can’t do it alone, he knows who to call for help.
“I have painter friends from my local union that come to help out quite a bit,” he says. “The union guys—I ask them and they always show up. No questions asked.”
Becki Smith, Director of Wish Fulfillment, says she feels lucky when she sees Darin’s name on the list of volunteers supporting a room makeover wish. “Darin is a jack-of-all-trades,” she explains. “He’s knowledgeable, resourceful, and prepared for just about any situation. I’ve been able to lean on Darin for day-of troubleshooting, and he pulls through every time to help bring the wish to fruition.”
Darin assembles a dresser for a bedroom makeover wish.
Despite all he does for the chapter, Darin prefers to stay out of the spotlight. “I’m the guy behind the scenes,” he says. “I just ask, ‘Hey, what do you need?’ Get it done, then leave.”
For Darin, volunteering is simple: “I do it because we can,” he adds. “Our kids are healthy, and you just want to help out where you can.”
In fact, long before he volunteered officially with the chapter, Darin was already spending time with wish kids and their families.
About 25 years ago, Darin was introduced to Make-A-Wish while volunteering alongside his wife—a microbiologist in cancer research—at Children’s Hospital Oakland (now UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland). The hospital
connected him with patients, including many wish kids, giving him a firsthand look at the impact of a wish.
Becoming a Make-A-Wish volunteer soon felt like a natural next step.
“We have season tickets to the Giants, so we’d already taken some of the kids out to a ball game,” Darin explains. “It was like, ‘Yeah, we could get involved with Make-A-Wish. No problem.’”
What inspires him most, he says, is seeing people come together to support wishes and wish kids. Like when members of the 501st Legion, a volunteer group that dresses in detailed Star Wars costumes they make themselves, showed up in full force to support the chapter’s Walk for Wishes.
“I was like a kid. I was like, ‘Whoa, this is so cool,’” Darin recalls. “There had to be at least fifty of them. That’s what I really love to see. I like seeing all the effort that other people put in. We’re all just one part that makes everything move. Without every volunteer, the car doesn’t go.”
I like seeing all the effort that other people put in. We’re all just one part that makes everything move. Without every volunteer, the car doesn’t go.
Darin
Volunteer
The imagination of wish kids inspires him too. He recalls a video-game-themed room makeover for a child in Richmond. “He wanted a gaming room; it might’ve been Call of Duty or Halo. Tanks on the wall … explosions. It was so cool. Wish kids have such great ideas for their room makeovers.”
Behind the scenes, Darin helps bring those ideas to life—quietly, skillfully, and without fanfare. “Just point me in the right direction,” he says. “I’ll get it done.”