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Honors College
 

Current Students

Elizabeth Day

Major: Youth, Adult, and Family Services

Update 7/31/07

I can't believe how quickly the end of July is approaching! In the past three months, I have had a wonderful time serving as an intern at Make-A-Wish (MAW) Foundation of Indiana. I have learned the many ways through which the Make-A-Wish Foundation works to change the lives of children and have loved having the opportunity to be directly involved in the process of making wishes come true!

Throughout the summer, I have been assigned a wide variety of tasks to complete as an intern. I work most closely with the Wish Program Managers, who are in charge of planning wishes. Mainly, my job is to take care of the referral process for each child. There are numerous phases of the eligibility process through which a child must pass before being considered for a wish. These phases involve a lot of paperwork and phone calls to families and doctors. Also, each child has a computer file that must be updated throughout the process. This summer, my phone and organizational skills have tremendously improved because of this process!

Along with taking care of the referral process, my experiences have included some of the following:

  • Copying and creating booklets for volunteer training
  • Designing and making folder covers for wish trips
  • Helping the development team with packets and family giveaways
  • Making reservations and getting information for wish trips
  • Meeting families and wish kids while attending Make-A-Wish events for the Indy 500 and Brickyard races - this has been my favorite part!

My internship is only on Monday and Tuesday each week, so every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I work on campus in the Office of the President.  This job has also been a great experience! I have had the chance to see the transition process between university presidents, and now more fully understand the amount of work it takes to keep a university at its best.

This summer overall, I have been blessed to work with wonderful people.  The positive experiences I have had can all be contributed to their understanding and patience as I figured things out and asked plenty of questions! I plan to continue to work at the President's Office this fall, and hope to maintain my connection with MAW as a volunteer. I'm excited for classes to start, but will miss my weekly trips to Indianapolis and the friends I have made while working there.

Fact: Five of the eight Make-A-Wish staff members are Purdue Alumni. Go Boilers!