Celebrating Volunteer Appreciation Month with a Wish-Granting Extraordinaire

April 24, 2012

When wish-granting extraordinaire, Laura Bruce, first signed up to be a volunteer wish-granter in 2009, she wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into. Laura feared that volunteering for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alaska and Washington, a non-profit organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy, would
bring sadness into her life.

But she couldn’t have been further from the truth. “My role is delivering an escape of pure joy for families who have been so bogged down in getting through each day,” she said. “It is so cathartic for them and for me to just focus on what makes them happy.”

Laura goes above-and-beyond when she grants wishes to Alaskan children. Many of her wishes involve travel, so she spends countless hours carefully and creatively planning larger-than-life send-off parties to bid her wish kids bon voyage on their trips.

Laura is currently working on the send-off party for five-year-old Leland, who wished to go to Disneyland. Laura was so inspired by Leland’s extraordinary selflessness and caring attitude towards others that she planned to have him host a send-off party to serve other children in his community. On April 27th, Leland will host a party for the kids at Kids Kitchen. With a little fairy dust and her incredible imagination,
Laura and her partner volunteer have set up an evening of martial arts demonstrations, hip hop dance performances, and a visit from Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, all for Leland and his new friends at Kids Kitchen.

Laura is looking forward to Leland’s wish party for many reasons, but she certainly always enjoys watching a wish impact an entire family. “It gives them hope. I see it in the eyes of each family member. I've never been a part of something so impactful.”

How to help:
Over 85 percent of Alaskan wishes involve travel, making airline tickets Make-A-Wish Alaska’s biggest expense. To help volunteers like Laura send kids on their dream vacations, donate your frequent flyer miles during the Make-A-Wish Wishes in Flight Mileage Drive in partnership with KTUU Channel 2 News on April 24th. Every 40,000 miles donated equals a free ticket which results in significant savings to Make-A-Wish, at no cost to individuals. Visit www.northwestwishes/wishesinflight to turn miles into
smiles for a critically ill child.

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