2019 Marks Banner Year for Make-A-Wish® Connecticut Staff

In an effort to grow the Connecticut Chapter and realize the vision of granting wishes to every eligible child in the state, as well as to increase the impact of the wish journey experience and make it even more magical for local children and their families, Make-A-Wish® Connecticut is excited to announce the hiring of five new staff members in 2019.

Allison Goodman is the new Events Manager and is responsible for leading and executing a comprehensive portfolio of priority fundraising events, including four chapter-hosted fundraising initiatives (Wish Night, Evening of Wishes Gala, Walk for Wishes and Trailblaze Challenge), as well as third-party community events. Prior to Make-A-Wish Connecticut, Allison was most recently at Gartner. She managed the team responsible for the overall sponsor experience at more than 20 North America Conferences, ensuring successful execution and delivery on all sponsorships that contributed to year over year renewals and retention.

Jessica Daniels was hired as the Wish Journey Coordinator. A newly-created position, Jess is responsible for coordinating wish journey experiences and events to create meaningful long-term engagement with wish families before, during, and after the wish. Jessica manages the Wish Alumni Program and will be creating a magical experience for wish families at the organization’s new Wishing Place. Prior to Make-A-Wish Connecticut, Jessica worked at Make-A-Wish New Jersey, where she was responsible for assisting the Mission Delivery team with executing the goals and objectives of Wish Granting, Medical Outreach and Volunteer Program Services.

Emma Laney is the new Bilingual Wish Coordinator at Make-A-Wish Connecticut. She was previously an intern for the Development team and worked as a temp on the Program team, where she assisted the other Wish Coordinators in planning wishes. Laney is a Westport native and recently graduated from James Madison University, with a double major in Communications and Spanish.

Lisa Brown is the Program Director for Make-A-Wish Connecticut. In her new role, she is excited to grant wishes to every eligible child in the state and ensure that all children receive their one true wish. She works closely with the wish managers and coordinators to update, maintain and increase the quality and integrity of each wish. Prior to joining Make-A-Wish, Lisa served as a Vice President and Branch Manager in the Retail Banking industry. While she has more than 25 years of management and leadership experience in Banking and Retail, she comes to Make-A-Wish with a valuable and rich perspective, for she is also a proud Make-A-Wish mom.

Stefanie Richardson is Make-A-Wish Connecticut’s Volunteer Coordinator and her main responsibility is the recruitment and management of the more than 250 volunteers who give their time and talents to the organization and the wish families they serve. Before moving to Connecticut, Stefanie was the Development and Community Relations Coordinator for the Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired in Cincinnati, OH.

“As we are poised to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Connecticut Chapter, it is crucial that we have qualified professionals in place who are not only passionate about, but also dedicated to, furthering our mission to create life-changing wishes for local children with critical illnesses,” shares Make-A-Wish Connecticut President and CEO Pam Keough. “The next decade promises to bring unprecedented growth to the chapter and the number and kinds of wish experiences we hope to create.”

ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH CONNECTICUT

Make-A-Wish® Connecticut creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We seek to bring every eligible child's wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child's treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and volunteers across the state currently grant nearly 250 wishes a year. Since 1986, Make-A-Wish Connecticut has granted more than 3,300 wishes to local children. For more information about Make-A-Wish Connecticut, visit ct.wish.org.