Chief Visionary Officer
Cass Forkin
Cass Forkin is both a passionate visionary and a businessperson who gets things done with her “We can do it” Rosie attitude. She was born and raised in Philadelphia and holds “brotherly love” as the key to winning the game of life. Forkin received her B.S. in accounting and her MBA in Healthcare Administration from LaSalle University in Philadelphia, PA.
Small beginnings: In March 2002, while having lunch at a diner in Bucks County, PA, Forkin noticed several elderly women counting change to pay for their dinner bill. Forkin anonymously paid the bill for them. Their gratitude for her simple gesture inspired Forkin to found Twilight Wish Foundation on July 1st, 2003, the first national wish granting organization dedicated to serving the needs of the elderly. Forkin started a national movement with just $711 and a small, but dedicated group of people who believed in the cause.
Today, in our 15th year, Forkin continues to serve Twilight Wish as the Chairwoman of the Board and national public speaker. Twilight Wish has established 18 chapters throughout the U.S. and has granted over 2,700 wishes to deserving seniors, including 887 veterans from WWII and Vietnam and inspired a national and international movement. Twilight Wish brought awareness of the senior wish stories to hundreds of millions of people who learned about granting wishes to seniors. This seeded the movement to make our world a nicer place to age, one Twilight Wish at a time. Grassroots efforts to international change on a dime!
Big honors: Recently, Forkin also helped our nation bring honor and recognition to the WWII “Rosie the Riveters” by creating the widespread marketing idea promoting the first National Rosie the Riveter Day celebrated March 21st, 2017, at the Lincoln Room in the Capitol Building in Washington DC. Rosies were invited onto the Memorial Day 2017 WWII parade float in Washington DC for the first time in history. “We can do it!” Forkin was honored to be part of that day and on that float with Mae Krier, Phyllis Gould and Elinor Otto, three original WWII Rosie the Riveters.
Since its inception, Twilight Wish grants approximately one wish every other day in our country and has inspired thousands of others to do the same. To honor and enrich the lives of seniors through wish granting celebrations that connect generations and treat the elderly with compassion, we restore their dignity and bring them hope.We also teach the younger generations the importance of respect and caring for those that paved the path for them and spread “brotherly love” throughout the world.
Forkin is a pioneer of charitable causes and is the national public speaker for Twilight Wish Foundation. Recently, Forkin was awarded 2018 Humanitarian of the Year Award from The Chapel of Four Chaplains in Philadelphia, PA. Forkin is the recipient of many academic, political, business, and community awards, and was voted a national Top Ten Business Woman for the American Business Women’s Association. Forkin has been featured on television shows including “Seeking Solutions with Suzanne,” “Living the Life,” Bill Bradley’s “American Voices” on Sirius Satellite radio. She has been written about in various print media articles including People magazine’s “Heroes Amongst Us,” USA Today, Women’s Day, National Enquirer and Family Circle magazine. Forkin was featured on CNN’s “Impact Your World” and HLN’s “Leaders with Heart.”
Forkin resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, Bill Belknap, and they have four children, one grandson and a dog named “Rosie the Riveter”.
Financial/Office Manager
Donna DeQuila
Donna DeQuila received her B.S. from Wagner College in 1979. She has over 30 years of experience as an accountant and office manager, most recently with the Law Offices of William J. Courtney, LLC. DeQuila, who recently joined Twilight Wish, oversees the fiscal and administrative activities for the foundation.
Director of Community Relations
Mary Farrell
Mary Farrell received her B.A. in Advertising from Temple University in 1989. Farrell has more than 10 years’ experience in advertising and public relations. Farrell volunteered for Twilight Wish for one year before becoming a part-time employee. She is currently the Director of Community Relations responsible for public and media relations, grant writing, and social media for Twilight Wish Foundation. Farrell joined the staff of Twilight Wish in March 2007.
Director of Wish Management
Michelle Bowren
Michelle Bowren has enjoyed granting wishes since 2011. As our Director of Wish Management, Bowren is responsible for all aspects of our wish-granting program and assisting our Chapters. Bowren attended West Chester University where she received a B.S. in Education. She enjoys spending time at the shore with her husband and two kids, watching baseball and walking with her dog. She lives in Doylestown, PA.
Twilight Wish Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board
James Ciervo
James Ciervo holds an AAS in Recreation Therapy and Leadership, Phi Theta Kappa, from Suffolk Community College and a B.S. in Human/ Community Service from Empire State College. Ciervo started his career as a Therapeutic Recreation Aide at Smithtown Healthcare Facility in the early 1990s. Most recently he worked for over 16 years as Therapeutic Recreation Director at Water’s Edge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Port Jefferson, NY. Ciervo has served on boards and committees on Long Island for over 20 years including serving as Planning Director for Intergenerational Strategies (NYSIGN); Planning Committee Member, Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce; Member of the Board of Trustees, Smithtown Historical Society; and Past President, Therapeutic Recreation Association of Suffolk County. Ciervo’s life goal of enhancing the quality of life for the aging is ongoing. His continued pursuit of higher education in this field and his endeavors to create community awareness regarding the increase of memory-impaired individuals is not only an asset but a welcome gift to his colleagues and those who benefit from his knowledge. In his spare time, Ciervo explores the Northeast on two wheels with his motorcycle club and travels the world, eager to learn about new cultures.
Secretary/Treasurer
Mary Mannix Meister
Mary Mannix Meister is a retired public utility safety professional. A lifelong political activist, Meister founded an advocacy group credited with the successful passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act. This activism led to her producing and hosting a local radio program for work/family issues that was honored with an AIR Award. Meister’s volunteer involvements include Habitat for Humanity, serving as a local director for the Miss America Organization, and as a trustee for her local library. She also currently serves on the Board of the Upper Moreland Education Foundation.
Director
Annabella Wood
Reverend Annabella Wood is an ordained interfaith minister, physicist, inventor, speaker, and handywoman. Wood volunteered her time and talent to become instrumental in the granting of Twilight Wish Foundation’s biggest wish, the “Truck Driving Mama” wish for Margarette Kirsch. Wood helped negotiate the legal hurdles involved in bringing this wish to fruition and volunteered her time as the truck driver on this wish.
Director
Jack Regan
Jack Regan worked as a Probation Officer for the City of Philadelphia for over 20 years. After his retirement from this position, he worked in sales for another twelve years until fully retiring ten years ago. Since then, Regan has been involved with numerous nonprofits, primarily working with at-risk children and young adults. In addition to his volunteer work at Twilight Wish, Regan is involved with Angels Flight East, Wrapping Presence and Ivy Hill Therapeutic Riding Academy. He resides in Chalfont with his wife.
Advisory Board
Jerry Rothkoff, Esquire
Jerold E. Rothkoff, a practicing New Jersey and Pennsylvania attorney, is the Principal of the Rothkoff Law Group, where he dedicates his practice to serving clients in the areas of elder law, life care planning, asset protection, veterans benefits, estate planning, and long-term care advocacy.
Rothkoff has been and continues to be, an outspoken advocate for the rights of the elderly and disabled. He writes and gives presentations regularly to attorneys and other professionals about elder law. He is a frequent lecturer, speaker, and author for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Education, as well as non-profit and professional organizations. He is the former co-host of SeniorTalkRadio on AM 860 WWDB. He has made numerous other radio and television appearances in which he discussed legal rights of the elderly.
Rothkoff is the author and founder of the Rothkoff Quarterly, a newsletter of current news and issues concerning the elderly and disabled. He is also the author and editor of the South Jersey Guide to Senior and Disability Resources, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Guide to Senior and Disability Resources, as well as co-editor of Law Points for Senior Citizens, published by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Division on Aging, 2003 Edition.
He is Past President of the NJ Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and Past President of the Life Care Planning Law Firm Association. He is also the former Chair of the New Jersey Bar Association Elder and Disability Law Section, as well as a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Elder Law Section and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
Community activities include being a member of the Board of Directors of the Twilight Wish Foundation and the Delaware Valley Stroke Council. He also is involved with the Alzheimer’s Association, as well as numerous other advocacy groups.
Rothkoff is a 1986 graduate of Syracuse University. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1993 from the Widener University School of Law and began work at a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania law firm. In February 2000, he opened his own elder law practice.
Outside of his elder law practice, Rothkoff and his wife, Erica, keep busy with their five children, eighteen-year-old identical twin girls, Liza and Julia, fourteen-year-old fraternal twin boys, Evan and Gregory, and six-year-old Aitan.
Advisory Board
Barbara Traub
Barbara Traub worked for 50 years at Holland Enterprises, Inc., for her father, C.W. Schrenk, a builder and developer in Bucks County and the surrounding areas. She handled multiple duties including secretary, job supervisor, directing of construction crews and meeting with customers in customizing the home of their dreams. At the end of 2017, the business came to a close and she retired, to a point. Traub is a very involved person and has also worked at Freedom General Contracting since 2008 as a payroll and financial secretary. She currently serves as a Board Member on The C.W. Schrenk Family Foundation which is a tri-state foundation helping to better the lives of children and families who are physically, mentally, socially, financially and religiously deprived for reasons beyond their control. In October of 2006, Traub received a House of Representatives Citation and Governors Award as an outstanding citizen recognizing her volunteer service with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. In addition, she also traveled twice to Mississippi to assist with rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina and to help the survivors put their lives back together. Traub has served on the Twilight Wish board since early 2010. She has lived in the Doylestown area for 41 years.
Advisory Board
Lori Woodward
Lori Woodward has been a sales and marketing professional in the senior housing industry since 1992 and is currently Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Public Relations of ACTS Retirement-Life Communities. Prior to her position at ACTS, Woodward was C.E.O. of Hamlyn Senior Marketing. She is a past board member of the New Jersey Assisted Living Council and a past committee member of the New Jersey Association of Not-For-Profit Homes for the Aging. Woodward lives in Yardley, Pa., with her family.
Advisory Board
Mae Krier
Mae Krier, one of the original Rosie the Riveters from World War II, had her wish to attend the American Rosie the Riveter Association’s (ARRA) reunion granted by Twilight Wish in June of 2015. Krier worked on B-17s and B-29s for Boeing in Seattle and helped build the 5 Grand, the 5,000 B-17. While in Seattle, she met her husband on the dance floor at the Service Man’s Center there. They were married nearly 70 years and raised two children before he passed away. Krier has four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. A great-great-granddaughter is named Rosie in honor of Krier’s Rosie the Riveter past. Thanks in great part to Krier’s efforts over the years; lawmakers passed a Congressional Resolution designating March 21, 2017, and 2018 as “National Rosie the Riveter Day.” She continues to work tirelessly to have this day become an annual day of recognition to honor the vital contributions that were made by countless American women during WWII. Krier has spoken to countless organizations and has made numerous radio and television appearances including Harry, a talk show hosted by Harry Connick, Jr.
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Twilight Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.