Journal 4

M: 8-5 T: 8-5 W: 8-5 Th: 8:30-5 F: 9-7 Weekly: 45.5 Total: 101 Brianna Fuller 2/9/19 Journal 4 This week was very exciting at Make-A-Wish Georgia, because it was a wish week for us! I have been implementing getting to work an hour earlier each day, and it has been relieving so much stress, as well as allowing me to get more work done! We begin each Monday with a company huddle to go over what we are all doing this coming week. It is inevitable that someone is always late, and they are on speaker listening/talking from their car. Everyone was discussing how they are each contributing to one of our wish kid’s wish this week. It was so amazing to see how everyone has an impact in the event. Our wish kid wanted to be a pro wrestler, so there was a space rented out, he has an outfit, there were shirts made for the event, we had sponsors, we had grants, etc. There was so much planning going into planning this event. During the week, I have been catching up on all of my welcome calls, as well as trying to tie up lose ends with files that are about to come off of their nine-month hold. It is extremely difficult to get the parents to send in their documents, and it is my job to contact them until they do so. This week I had another translation welcome call, this time in Russian. The first time, it was difficult to explain the situation and that it was not a scam. Many parents, even Englishspeaking ones sometimes do not understand why we would be doing this for their family and they will think it is a scam. This time I was prepared and did a really good job communicating with the translator to make sure the parent understood the process, and what steps there are moving forward. This is something I have definitely improved on. I had one call to a mom and

she answered the phone, heard me say I was from Make-A-Wish, and she immediately said, “What yall want from me, donations? No thank you,” and hung up. I have not been able to get in contact to tell her that her daughter qualified to receive a wish and that her social worker sent in a referral in for her. My job is definitely interesting to say the least. I had another mom who also thought I was a scam caller, and then when I explained who I was her entire demeanor changed, and she apologized and explained that the number comes up as unknown, so she just assumed. I have also been taking advantage on breaks this week but making sure they are 10 minutes or less. I will leave my lunch in my car, and walk down there to get it, I fill up my water bottle constantly to keep hydrated, and I use the furthest restroom, so that I have to walk up and down the stairs to get some exercise in! It really has helped me stay focused, and taking a couple of minutes to rejuvenate, helps me to not get burned out and be the best I can be. We also have a filing room in the basement of the building, so I will gather all the files anyone in the office needs to file and will go down there to also take a break, and get some walking in. Thursday was the day before our wish day, so everyone was doing last minute things to fully prepare and put this wish together. His outfit, and the t-shirts we had made came in and we set everything up that we would need to bring for tomorrow. The office was so excited! All of the interns got invited too, which they typically do not do, but I decided to go and help out. On Friday we met in Tyrone, Georgia to help set up everything for our wish event. We met up with the sponsors and set up the wrestling ring, greeted volunteers, had our wish kid sign autographs to hand out, handed out t-shirts, had everyone make posters to hold up, and decorated. We took turns taking pictures for the MAW social media pages too! We had so much fun and helped out with as much as we could to make the wish come true! The event sponsors put on a wrestling

show for our wish kid, and the audience made up of his friends, family, our staff, and many volunteers! We had a blast and I cannot wait for the chance to help out again!