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Twilight Wish Foundation enriches givers, recipients

By: Lynn S. Heckler , Staff writer

04/14/2004

"It all comes down to kindness," said Jennifer Schmitt, who has become active with The Twilight Wish Foundation, a newly formed Bucks County non-profit group that just loves to grant wishes to older adults.

Schmitt and her husband Jeff have lived in a 200-year-old farmhouse in Hagersville for the past six years, and formerly lived in Bedminster for 11 years. They have a 15-year-old son, Tyler, who attends Pennridge High School.
As an active member of the Presbyterian Church of Deep Run, Schmitt has been working with older people for some time now.
"I have always been comfortable with seniors," she said, "and there are a lot of seniors in my church in Bedminster.
"The church asked me to write articles about our senior charter members who are all now in their 80s and 90s," she said. "Our church was chartered in the early 1900s," Schmitt explained.
"There were three or four of them," she said, "and they were delightful. It was awesome to hear them tell their stories, and the best part is that it brought a warmth to them just talking about their lives," she said
"Their stories touched my heart," Schmitt smiled.
Schmitt related one story. "One of the charter members, Doris Gaife, came from the Caribbean area. A wealthy American doctor liked to vacation in her area, and he took a real liking to her so his family sponsored her to come to the United States. She worked for them as a housekeeper and then went on to many other jobs that included time as a housekeeper for Oscar Hammerstein, who was also a Bucks County resident."
That is just a small sample of what Schmitt finds so interesting and rewarding about older adults.
So, when her friend Sandy Greisiger, also of Bucks County, told her about the Twilight Wish Foundation, Schmitt knew it was a perfect fit for her.
Greisiger works as a volunteer co-ordinator at the office of the foundation that was founded only last year by another Bucks County woman, Cassy Forkin. She, too, has spent many years caring for older adults and has a real love for them.
Greisiger said Forkin was having a meal at the Dublin Diner when she noticed several older women trying to come up with enough change to pay for their inexpensive meal. She slipped a $20 bill to the waitress as an anonymous gesture, but the ladies insisted on knowing who had paid their bill.
Greisiger said many hugs and kisses followed, and that put Forkin onto the idea for the Twilight Wish Foundation.
Schmitt said seniors are always so happy and so grateful for the smallest things. Their joy brings her joy, she said.
The foundation's Website, www.twilightwishfoundation.org, includes the group's mission statement.
It reads, in part, "The mission of Twilight Wish Foundation is to enrich the lives of elders that have served others by bringing them smiles and joy."
The organization tries to say "thank-you" to the older folks by granting individual wishes and planning group celebrations for seniors.
Greisiger said U.S. Congressman Jim Greenwood was helpful in getting the 501©(3) or non-profit status for the group. It is now a charity and can accept contributions and offer donors a tax deduction for their gifts.
Anyone over the age of 68 is eligible to "make a wish."
Both Schmitt and Greisiger feel their participation is based on God's wishes for them. Both feel they have a gift with seniors and this foundation is "just a natural outlet." Both sported t-shirts that proclaim "TWF Celebrating our seniors by making dreams and wishes come true."
Schmitt said she grew up in upstate New York and spent a lot of time on her grandparents' farm. "They taught me about farming," she said. "I had lots of chores to do, too."
She remembered, "A lot of their friends and neighbors had older relatives living in their homes with them. That doesn't happen anymore," she said.
"I think our seniors are more emotionally needy now because we put them in nursing homes instead," she noted.
Greisiger agreed. "Some of the older women I have cared for were in nursing homes, but they wanted to go home to die. I took care of them 24/7 until the time came."
She did this with no training in handling death and dying, but learned to truly love older folks through the experience.
"I lost a real friend each time," she said.
So, how does the foundation help?
Schmitt said the foundation finds seniors with wishes by word of mouth, "or they find us," she smiled.
She said after the group was founded in December of 2003, it granted its first wish in January of 2004.
An older woman named Margaret lost her son, Isaiah, suddenly last June. She is 81 years old, living in a nursing home, so she was forced to bury him in an unmarked grave.
Her wish was to be able to place a stone marker on his grave.
The Twilight Wish Foundation found out about Margaret's wish and made it a reality with the help of DeChristopher Bros. Inc., and the Mount Moriah Cemetery. Margaret was present when the stone was set in place in January.
Schmitt said the next "wish" was granted to 75-year-old Joanne, who wanted a ride on a Zamboni machine. These machines are used to clean and smooth the ice at skating facilities.
Joanne's wish came true on her birthday. Her family took her to a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game at the Wachovia Center. Joanne got to ride the Zamboni machine during the announcement of her wish fulfillment.
The Twilight Wish Foundation and the Philadelphia Flyers made it happen.
"Joanne was so excited," Schmitt beamed. "The whole thing was fabulous."
Greisiger said, "Listening to older people is so important." She said Jennifer was good at that at her bookshop.
Schmitt formerly owned a bookshop in Plumsteadville and she said, "Older folks would come in and they would start to talk with me. I enjoyed that so much, and often they would linger just to keep talking."
Schmitt said the initial focus of the foundation has been the Central Bucks area, but she wants to see it expand to Upper Bucks.
She said the foundation's first celebration took place on April 5 at the Dublin Diner, where it all started.
"It was our first Senior's Dinner to honor seniors who volunteer to help other seniors," she said.
Between 55 and 65 people attended the dinner including Congressman Greenwood and his parents. The guests were treated to dinner, door prizes and live music. All the honored volunteers received framed awards presented by Greenwood.
Schmitt said she was overwhelmed "by the radiance I could feel coming from the seniors and their appreciation that someone was finally giving them the recognition they deserved.
"They don't do it for the recognition," Schmitt was quick to point out, "but they were just having such a good time at the dinner."
Young people love to help older adults, too.
Members of Brownie Troop 518 of Warrington made large stars for decorations for the dinner after they called to find out how they could help.
"The seniors loved them," Greisiger said. "We wrote the names of the honorees on the stars and they left the diner clutching 'their star'."
Schmitt said there are more "wishes" in the pipeline.
Another gravestone is going to be put in place as a wish from a woman who lost four family members in a very short time, two of them her children. She longs for a stone for her son.
Forkin spoke to the woman to tell her about the wish, and noticed that the woman still did not seem happy.
"Making people happy is what this is all about," Schmitt said, so Forkin talked to her for a while and found out the woman longed to see her cousin in the Carolinas whom she had not seen for a long time. When the foundation decided to grant that wish also, "that brought the joy into her voice," Schmitt said.
The people in the foundation really care and really want to bring true joy to senior people.
Another "wish" will be granted to a man who has seen a ball game at nearly every baseball field in the Philadelphia area. His wish is to take his 88-year-old frame to a game at the new Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies are working with the Twilight Wish Foundation to make that possible in May.
Schmitt said they don't want to spoil the surprise for the octogenarian, but he will get an autographed baseball and will get to meet a famous baseball player.
"The most recent wish request we have received, "Schmitt said, "was from a woman whose father is ill and has only a few months to live."
She said his "wish" is "to get his family together and go someplace that's warm and has seashells."
Schmitt said, "Seashells probably go back to a warm childhood memory."
"Sometimes," she said, "wishes are little things like having one's lawn mowed."
"It's tiny little kindnesses that people really appreciate," she said.
Money for the "wishes" comes from many sources, mostly donations of money and services.
"Anyone can donate money or volunteer their time," Schmitt said.
The Twilight Wish Foundation, with about 25 members at the present time, will hold its first fundraiser on May 15.
"We are having a $50 a plate dinner with live music at Williamson's on Route 611 in Horsham," Schmitt said. For information or tickets call 1-877-893-9474.
That number is also the one to call to seek a wish.
Schmitt see herself volunteering more with the foundation and spreading the word as much as she can.
"Not only do I see the dreams of older adults fulfilled through the Twilight Wish Foundation, but it warms my heart to make those older hearts happier.
"Our seniors are a rewarding part of our community and I want others to know that," she smiled.
"And we are all going to be there ourselves someday," she added.

©Montgomery Newspapers 2004

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