Meet wish-granting volunteer Mary Lou Garrett! Mary Lou has been involved with Make-A-Wish for more than 20 years. She’s a retired physical therapist who lives in Abilene, Texas. She loves baking, sending encouraging cards to loved ones and taking on small quilting projects.

Mary Lou signed up to volunteer as a wish granter in 2000, and she hasn’t looked back! She loves bringing joy to children through their wishes, and her favorite part of every wish happens at the beginning of the wish journey. She loves meeting the family, getting to know them and chatting with the child about all the possibilities for their wish.

“Early on I granted wishes for some children I’d previously seen in therapy. It was so uplifting to bring them joy and get to love on them in such a special way, whereas therapy was not always so fun,” she shared.

Mary Lou believes that volunteering with Make-A-Wish has further enhanced her life and allowed her to serve children and their families in a unique way. One wish that sticks out in her mind was for a child who wished to go to New York to attend both a Yankees game and a Mets game.

“He knew so many baseball stats, and this was right up his alley. The family had a wonderful time touring New York City and the wish child loved the baseball games. The Mets even put ‘Welcome to Shay Stadium, Brady’ in lights on their marquee. The family shared pictures of the Twin Towers and other sights there with me (their trip was before 9/11). Wow!” she said.

Mary Lou also had the unique opportunity to visit Give Kids the World village in Florida—an incredible resort where Make-A-Wish kids and their families stay when they wish to go to Disney World. She had an amazing time touring the campus and seeing the village through a wish kid’s eyes. She now uses that experience to chat with kids who wish to go to Disney and prepare them for their trips!

Make-A-Wish is incredibly grateful for Mary Lou and her heart for making wishes come true!

“Granting wishes is so fulfilling and brings me so much joy! It is wonderful to see a child enjoy such a unique and super special time at their sendoff celebration.  It’s like they are a king or princess for a day. And then their wish begins, which brings more excitement for life,” she expressed.

Do you want to help grant wishes with other amazing volunteers like Mary Lou? Sign up here!