Featured Volunteer

Jackie Goulet, a 14-year veteran, comments on what she enjoys about volunteering and why she continues to do it.

"At the beginning, I traveled all across the state. I went anywhere they wanted me to and now I primarily focus on wishes in southern Maine.

Why do I do it? Because I love it. I think it’s in my nature, I really do. I don’t ever tire of it and I really enjoy working with the wish children. Every single wish is different so each time it feels like the first wish. You always get something out of it – a hug, a smile, etc. The feeling you get in your gut when granting a wish… ahhhh… so good.

I don’t think there’s any experience better than the Make-A-Wish experience. I’ve always worked with children and love them. I used to run a nursery school and when the Foundation came to Maine, I saw an advertisement in the newspaper that they needed volunteers, so I applied. At that time, there was only one person in the office and the volunteers had a lot more responsibility.

Caroline trained me for my first wish and she was wonderful. The little girl wanted to be a princess so we visited her in the hospital and brought her a princess outfit. I’ll never forget seeing her walking down the hall with her doctors, wearing the princess outfit. In one hand, she had a wand and in the other, she had her feeding tube apparatus.

Volunteering for Make-A-Wish allows you to meet so many wonderful people within the community. It is amazing to see how many people come together to help make the wish possible – whether it’s a restaurant donating a meal or a limo driver waiting to bring us back from the airport. One time I was at a car dealership and a car dealer knew I was from Make-A-Wish, so he gave me a check for $100 for the Foundation. It is very important to have trust and support from the community.

Because I’ve been with Make-A-Wish for so long, I’ve worked with three different wish coordinators. Each person has his or her own style. It is very important that you work with a good wish granting partner. It’s not for everyone. I’ve granted 118 wishes and I’ve got three going on right now. I had to learn not to cry all the time when I first started out. I can see similarities in all the volunteers who do wish granting. They really care. Specifically, they really care about the wish child.

The reason that the wish is so important to these children is because it gives them hope. They get to plan for something besides another trip to the doctor’s office. And the family, as a whole, sometimes needs to get away for quality time together. For one wish, I bought the family a set of bear claw slippers. I have memories of this family dancing together in their bear claw slippers in the hospital room… it was beautiful.

I also enjoy the planning. I love to work with donors who care about the wish and help make it happen. It is great to bring them stories and photos of children on their wishes to show them exactly where their money has gone and how it has helped bring smiles to faces of Maine families.

There is magic in Make-A-Wish. I’ve seen it happen over and over again. On one wish, I went to the hospital to deliver a letter to a boy who was trying to decide if he wanted to continue to fight for his life. His health had declined and so had his motivation. I handed him a packet that outlined his wish and spelled out the wonderful experiences that were about to be granted. He tucked that letter into his pajamas and told me, with increasing strength, that he was ready to go on his wish. He focused on this wish. He planned for it, dreamt about it and eventually experienced it. That was quite a few years ago and he is now a healthy young man who has accomplished great things so far. In fact, he now works at the place where he went on his wish!"

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