Elizabeth Ross, Wish-Granting Volunteer

Make-A-Wish Volunteer Elizabeth Ross Abracadabra! Alla kazam!
Bippity Boppity Boo!

Famous words to live by if you happen to be a magician, a Fairy Godmother or… a Make-A-Wish volunteer? Yes, that's correct… our volunteers can pull a rabbit out of a hat and make magic wherever they go. Elizabeth Ross of Anchorage is no exception.

"I was in awe when I saw Elizabeth in action during a recent wish," said Nicole Sheldon, regional director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation's Alaska office. "She injects her incredible imagination and creativity in each wish, making them as unique as the kids who dream them."

That creativity pours out of her from the very first moment she meets her wish child. In fact, Elizabeth has developed a special wishing process that she enacts with each child.

"I have the children draw their wish and we place it in a wish box with magic wish rocks," she said. "We seal it with stickers and they have to keep it in a special place in their room until we meet for the send off party. At the party we take out the picture to make sure it matches the wish we set up for them. It gives the kids something tangible to hold on to while we make the wish happen."

A wish granting volunteer since 2008, Elizabeth's tenure with Make-A-Wish began in 2000 when she started raising money for the Foundation while in college. But, that wasn't her first encounter with the organization.

Make-a-Wish Volunteer Elizabeth Ross "My younger sister's best friend was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and Make-A-Wish sent her and her family on a Disney Cruise."

Elizabeth has granted several wishes to date, but among the most memorable is five-year-old Zoe's wish. "She told us her wish to see some dinosaurs while riding her Triceratops in her living room. Zoe explained that she goes on dinosaur adventures in her own house all the time but, wanted to meet some real ones and maybe even get some dinosaur eggs."

After some extensive research Elizabeth and her wish granting partner found the perfect dinosaur adventure and the rest is history.

If Elizabeth could have a wish, it would be to go to the World Series, "preferably when the Red Sox are playing in it!"

Go to Next Volunteer | Back to Meet the Volunteers...