Legacy Interview: Mary Olinger

Mary Olinger’s life is one dedicated to giving back, serving others, and in truly making wishes come true. At no time was this more evident than during her 18 years as President & CEO of Make-A-Wish South Dakota. Yet, Mary’s giving goes far beyond the wishes granted to hundreds of children and their families. She sat down with Miles Beacom to discuss her philanthropic legacy in South Dakota.

In this episode you will hear:

• Mary’s challenge to obtain an education;
• the path that led her to the Make a Wish Foundation;
• the struggles that helped her grow and succeed. 

Mary utilized her business savvy and people skills to bring hundreds of new volunteers and donors into the organization. Financial donations to Make-A-Wish grew by 900% and when Mary retired in 2011 the South Dakota chapter was celebrating its second consecutive year as one of the "Top 5 Chapters in the United States."

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Produced by Vela Creative Co.

Recorded by South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

Follow us for more stories of Dream Chasers at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SDhalloffame

Instagram: @sdhalloffame

Website: www.sdhalloffame.org