Why I Volunteer: Dana's Story
Dana Miller exemplifies what it means to live out our mission. Since 2004, Dana has been more than a volunteer for Make-A-Wish® South Carolina – she’s a wish granter, Wish Ball committee member and the chapter’s Regional Leader.
Dana Miller exemplifies what it means to live out our mission. Since 2004, Dana has been more than a volunteer for Make-A-Wish South Carolina – she’s a wish granter, Wish Ball committee member and the chapter’s Regional Leader. She also does community outreach and speaking engagements – all while working full-time. Dana has played a role in 400 wishes (as of January), and in 2018, she was named Volunteer of the Year at the Make-A-Wish America National Conference. Dana shares why she volunteers with Make-A-Wish and why our organization is so close to her heart in her own words below.
"I got involved with Make-A-Wish after my brother’s wish to meet Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs was granted in May 2001. At the time his wish was granted, his heart was working at 15 percent capacity. Despite those odds, my brother, Nic, lived for another four years after his wish came true. For him and other wish kids I know, I have observed that a wish is sort of like a reset button. A wish puts a lift in their sails to take on the next round of whatever they’re dealing with.
Fifteen years later, I’m getting more out of wish granting than I’ll ever put into it, because I know personally the power of a wish and what it can do for a family. The memories that Make-A-Wish gave to our family have been irreplaceable. We came home from my brother’s wish with seven disposable cameras that he insisted be developed instantly, as he just had to relive his wish as soon as possible. He was 17 at the time, and I definitely think his wish made him stronger. It gave him that jolt of being alive. Actually, I think my entire family felt that – that infusion of joy. It was amazing.
Wish granting is 100 percent quality over quantity. It doesn’t matter if you grant only one wish a year. If you take on just one wish and knock it out of the park for that child, that’s far more important than anything else.
I volunteer for Make-A-Wish in honor of my brother. Make-A-Wish belongs to him and to all of my wish kids. It’s my duty to make sure every child’s wish is done right."