Welcome to our Winter 2009-2010 "Shining Moments" quarterly newsletter. (Click here to download a copy.) This winter has been full of shining moments for me as I spent my honeymoon with my husband, Bill Belknap, in Brazil and Argentina in November. We had the most beautiful and meaningful wedding celebrations.

Then, Twilight Wish welcomed the new decade in style at our Night of 111 Stars gala. Thank you to our sponsors, donors, volunteers, board members, and staff for helping us not only continue our good works, but to make huge leaps and bounds towards a wonderful future. You truly make our world a nicer place to age, one wish at a time.

Twilight's Pacific NW Chapter currently has the following open wishes that need sponsoring:

1. Gus, a homeless veteran, would like a new set of dentures
2. Sally, an active, retired nurse, would like to visit Alaska
3. Antonia, an elderly grandmother, would like to reunite her children and grandchildren (family of 26) at a fine dining establishment in Spokane, WA, or North Idaho

Please contact Elinor at pacificnw@twilightwish.org if you can help fulfill one of these wishes. Thank you!

Albert Lounsbury, a longtime Philadelphia Eagles fan, had his wish for a pregame tailgate at his nursing home granted, thanks to national nonprofit Twilight Wish Foundation.

Lounsbury, 82, is originally from New Jersey.  In fact, he owned a barbershop in Pitman, NJ and was the barber for several Eagles players years ago. A huge Eagles fan, he took his two daughters to all the preseason training camps and watched every game.  Despite living in Florida, he remains a loyal fan. Over the past five years Lounsbury has battled back from severe infections and septic shock that developed after an unsuccessful hip replacement surgery. In addition, two years ago he suffered a brain stem stroke and lost his wife of 52 years.  His simple wish for a tailgate party was granted on Sunday, December 6, 2009 before the Birds played the Atlanta Falcons. Lounsbury was surprised with a phone call from his old friend and former Eagles general manager, Harry Gamble during the tailgate.  Thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles organization for donating a personalized jersey for Lounsbury and to Marshall Financial of Doylestown, PA for donating several other pieces of Eagle memorabilia and for funding the cost of the party.

 Lounsbury’s wish was the 1,192^nd wish granted by Twilight Wish since its founding six years ago.  Twilight Wish grants wishes to seniors who are over 68 years old and have an income of less than 200% of poverty level, or less than $21,660 annually, or who are residents of a nursing facility and cannot make their own wishes come true. 

Doylestown, PA – Locally-headquartered national nonprofit, Twilight Wish Foundation, was recently chosen to receive a $10,000 grant from The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation.  Home Instead Senior Care Community Service Representative Pamela Eelman presented the check to Cass Forkin and Gene Petrucci of Twilight Wish during a ceremony on December 1, 2009.

Located in Doylestown, Twilight Wish Foundation is a national charitable organization dedicated to the undeserved senior community.  The funding received from The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation will be used to fund Twilight Wish’s Intergenerational Caring Program.  This program specifically reaches out to the elderly living in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.  Designed to alleviate some of the loneliness and isolation experienced by these residents, the program matches schools with local nursing homes, benefiting both the students and the seniors in a wish granting program.  The students involved gain valuable work and life experience and a respectful understanding of aging, while the seniors feel respected and acknowledged.

“Twilight Wish is proud to receive this grant from Home Instead towards our Intergenerational Caring Program,” said Forkin, executive director of Twilight Wish Foundation.  “Many more seniors and students will be able to participate in this groundbreaking program, thanks to the generosity of Home Instead.”

Home Instead Senior Care, the world’s largest provider of non-medical in-home care for seniors, was founded in 1994 by Paul and Lori Hogan.  The Home Instead Senior Care Foundation was established in 2003 as a means to further enhance the lives of older adults.  A major goal of this private, nonprofit foundation is to provide the financial support of activities designed to improve the quality of life for seniors.  The Foundation’s primary funding is derived through the benevolence of Home Instead Senior Care franchise owners.  Charitable donations also contribute to the availability of the Foundation’s grant funding.  Additionally, Home Instead is proud to announce the publication of a new book written by the Hogans.  “Stages of Senior Care,” a guide and resource for families regarding care issues for their aging loved ones, is available now in local book stores and through Amazon.com.  All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to the Foundation.

 The Plumsteadville office, owned by Bill Rice of Jamison, has been serving the communities of Upper and Central Bucks for six years and is proud to call Twilight Wish Foundation their neighbor.  You can learn more at www.homeinstead.com or by calling 215-766-1617.

Northern California Chapter of TWF
The Jewel Cultural Arts Program
Grants Wishes to Local Seniors

By Gail A. (Ruby) Rudman

Laury McInerney, Director of The Jewel Cultural Arts Program, the Northern California Chapter of TWF, is granting wishes to Santa Cruz County senior citizens.  In November of 2008, Laury granted her first wish.  Her vision for JCAP was inspired by Jewel, a senior citizen for whom Laury provided assistance as part of her job.  Jewel is a jazz fan and when Laury mentioned that Toots Thielmans (a prominent jazz harmonica player) was to appear in concert at a local jazz club where Laury volunteers, Jewel became very excited and mentioned Toots was one of her favorite jazz musicians.  Laury arranged for Jewel to attend the concert, and also arranged for Jewel to meet Mr. Thielmans in person after the concert.  According to Jewel, this was one of the best days of her life.  Laury was inspired with a vision and soon thereafter became acquainted with Twilight Wish Foundation, which led to the formation of The Jewel Cultural Arts Program.

Laury and her Co-Director Leslie Evans held their first auction in October of 2009 at The Crepe Place to raise funds for the program.  The auction was a success and included donations of a crystal vase, music lessons, premium wine, music concerts, and a flight over Monterey Bay donated by a local pilot. Another wish granted was a sail around Monterey Bay on The Chardonnay II, a popular sailing vessel based in Santa Cruz.

Laury has local media support as well.  TV host Romney Dunbar, host of Great Homes TV (greathomestv.com) and Travels with Romney (travelswithromney.com), assisted by filming a short video which can be viewed on YouTube at the following link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEhNTH-B7G8

Laury McInerney and Leslie Evans are looking forward to developing more awareness of their program in Santa Cruz County.  Future plans include music concerts and a walk-a-thon later in 2010.  Applications for Senior Wishes can be obtained by calling Laury at 831-206-2198.

Nora Baird, 84, had always dreamed of riding in a helicopter, high above the world, but never thought her dream would come true. Baird, a three year resident of Cumberland Village Care & Rehabilitation Center in La Follette, TN, suffers from diabetes and is an amputee. But, despite her medical problems, she is known throughout the care center as an extremely sweet lady and is loved by all the staff.

ABCNews.com featured TWF recently in an article titled "Wishes for the Elderly: Nonprofits Make Dreams Come True" Click here to read this article now.

The AARP features Twilight Wish in their Sept-Oct magazine issue.

The Arizona chapter of Twilight Wish Foundation recently granted another great wish. An 87-year-old woman received her wish to attend a baseball game and was recognized on the field before the D-backs-Giants game Tuesday at TEP. Lucy Rodriguez pitched on neighborhood baseball teams as she grew up in Tucson. Twilight Wish Foundation granted her desire to attend a game. "I love it," Rodriguez said. "I still do." Great job to our wonderful volunteers in Arizona!

Elderly widow, Anna Walling, a resident of Renaissance Gardens at Seabrook Village in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, had a reunion with her childhood friend from Scotland, thanks to national nonprofit, Twilight Wish Foundation. Anna, 84, has known Margaret Zimmerman since they were young girls growing up together in Scotland.

“I’ve got to be doing something. I’m not going to wind up a couch potato,” he said with a smile. Since moving in with his daughter Bonnie Andersen and her husband Jerry, he’s been filling his days with handyman jobs around the Tinley Park house, fixing things and enjoying a few games of pool, thanks to some help from the Twilight Wish Foundation.

Twilight Wish Foundation featured in the Naples Sun Times Twilight Wish granted to Neapolitan senior By: Martin Miron Encore Senior Village assisted living center, an Alzheimer's Community, played host to the Twilight Wish Foundation, Thurs., May 3, when Denise Reid, affectionately known as "Miss Denise", received the life-enhancing gift of dental work from a national organization dedicated to giving seniors' golden years a silver lining.