Wish Granted: LSU CM Alumnus Bryan Wesley Volunteers with CSA, Make-A-Wish to Help Young Boy
December 22, 2025
LSU Construction Management alumnus Bryan Wesley, vice president of Baton Rouge-based Wesley Construction, wanted to make this holiday season extra special for a family in need. Using his resources, Wesley reached out to volunteers from LSU Construction Student Association (CSA) and LSU Construction Industry Advisory Council (CIAC) to help build a playground in the back yard of a 5-year-old boy with a neurological disease through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“We used this project as an opportunity to get to know the LSU students and work alongside them with industry,” said Wesley, who is on the Make-A-Wish Builders of Hope Committee for the Texas Gulf Coast & Louisiana chapter.
With the help of more than 50 volunteers from LSU CIAC and more than 20 volunteers from LSU CSA, Wesley and his team were able to construct an adaptive play area and sidewalk for the young boy so he would not only ride around his yard in his wheelchair but also do some strength building through interactive games and musical instruments. The team built an ADA-compliant ramp and put up sunshade sails since the young boy, whose family chooses to remain anonymous, can keep cool in the Louisiana heat.
Preparations for the installments and renovations took place on Oct. 9 while volunteers showed up on Oct. 10 to begin the project. Concrete was poured on Oct. 13, and the playground was ready to go.
“I helped with this volunteer project, and it was a very rewarding time,” LSU CSA President and construction management senior Madison Baglio said. “The students and I put a lot of hard work into the playset coming together.”
“Having this number of students show up to grant this wish was incredible,” Wesley said. “These students now have some education on what it takes to get a project like this done and how much work it actually takes. This will help them be able to weigh whether equipment or labor would be more cost effective when looking at a project, and it will give them some empathy for the skilled labor teams that are the backbone of our industry and help them understand what they must do each day.”
Wesley hopes that this project inspires other students and businesses to get involved with making a difference for someone through Make-A-Wish.
“I’m really trying to encourage people to get involved with Make-A-Wish to help improve the quality of life for these kids and give them so hope. It’s amazing what the power of a wish can do. I’ve seen the smiles firsthand and how it impacts not just the Wish Kids and their families, but the grantor as well.”