Jeff Kelly began volunteering with Make-A-Wish North Texas more than 15 years ago, and he has been part of more than 40 wish journeys.

As a volunteer wish granter, Jeff helps children and families learn about Make-A-Wish and guides them through the entire wish journey. He gets to know the family, learns about the child’s wish ideas, discovers the “why” behind the wish and then works with the Make-A-Wish staff to help make that wish come true!

“I’m such a small part in the grand scheme of things, but I’m so happy when wish kids and families get a fulfilling experience and reach out afterwards to share,” he said. “I’m very grateful when the parents contact me and thank me for a wish. They’ve been through so much and let me know how great a wish was for the family…that’s what it’s all about.”

When Jeff was a child, his brother was diagnosed with his cancer, so he understands the difficult circumstances our wish families are navigating—the doctor’s appointments, hospital stays and treatments take a toll not only on the child, but the entire family. Over the course of his brother’s cancer journey, many people reached out to help, and Jeff made a pledge to give back to others in return. Years later, he discovered Make-A-Wish and signed up to volunteer.

“It has changed my life, and I’m so happy I joined. I would ask anyone reading this to think about volunteering to be a wish granter. It’s so rewarding,” he shared.

Over the years, Jeff has been involved with many different wishes. He’s helped discover wishes for playhouses, trips to Disney World and shopping sprees, to name a few. He knows that every wish is special, and he speaks to each child with compassion and kindness as they dream about all the possibilities.

“I like to be involved in whatever wish helps the kid out the most. I go into it with an open mind and try to get to the bottom of what they really want,” he said.

When Jeff isn’t granting wishes or spending time with his wife and two kids, he’s working at his full-time job with Microsoft. After recently discussing his volunteer work at Make-A-Wish with a co-worker, Jeff wanted to encourage more of his team members to get involved with the organization. He invited several Make-A-Wish staff members to visit the Microsoft campus and discuss the Make-A-Wish mission and the important role volunteers play in making wishes come true. Jeff spoke about the impact that volunteering has had on his life, and several of his co-workers decided they wanted to become wish granters, too! A few others signed up to create Sunshine Boxes for waiting wish kids.

We’re grateful for Jeff’s continued support of our mission and wish families. If you want to join volunteers like Jeff to make more wishes come true, sign up here!