Please Note: Twilight Wish Foundation is registered in Pennsylvania as a nonprofit corporation and is a public charity exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations made to grant open wishes are tax deductible. Twilight Wish Foundation will make every effort to ensure that donated funds go to the wish of your choice. If this is not possible, we will apply the funds to the most urgent and similar wish open at the time. Twilight Wish Foundation has final decision-making authority over the use of all donations.
Local Veterans Honored During Doylestown Airport’s “Celebration of Flight”
/in Top Stories/by Mary FarrellTwo local veterans helped kick off Doylestown Airport’s annual “Celebration of Flight” open house by taking off into the wide blue yonder as passengers in an airplane on Saturday, June 2, 2012. Their flights were arranged by Twilight Wish. This year’s open house was held in conjunction with the week-long Doylestown County Seat Bicentennial Celebration and included free airplane rides, music, food and radio-controlled aircraft demonstrations.
Robert Crossett of Doylestown and Jack Jameson of Danboro flew in a Cessna 182 piloted by Jim McEachern of the Warrington Flying Club. Crossett served 26 years in the Navy and took part in Operation Desert-Storm. Jameson seved in the Air Force during both the Korean and Vietnam wars and fought in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
Thanks to Twilight Wish volunteer, Michael Ellenbogen, who represented Twilight Wish at the event and presented the veterans with their wish certificates. Photo, from left: pilot Jim McEachern, Robert Crossett and Jack Jameson.
Avon Grove NHS Students Grant Wishes to Nursing Home Residents
/in Top Stories/by Mary FarrellOver the past few months, Avon Grove High School National Honor Society students raised funds to grant the simple needs wishes of eight residents of Ware Presbyterian Village nursing facility in Oxford, PA. The students raised $1,000 by selling cake pops after school and hosting a 5K run. The wishes were for simple items including a CD player, a gospel music CD and Dove body wash. The students visited the facility on Thursday, May 24, 2012 and handed out the gifts during a special reception.
To engage the seniors, the students showed them the cake pops they had been selling and asked about their favorite flower. In turn, one of the seniors told the girls she used to live in Sweden and another shared that both of her parents were born in Poland. She taught the students a little Polish by speaking in Polish and having them repeat what she said. One of the students made the seniors laugh by sharing that her Irish family displays their family tree at gatherings and that she is only a small twig off the Irish branches.
This wish granting was arranged through Twilight Wish’s Intergenerational Education Program (IEP) which matches local schools with nearby nursing homes, enriching the lives of both the students and the elderly nursing home residents. For more information about the IEP, please contact Tasia Kavalek at 215-230-8777 ext. 102.
Twilight Wish Welcomes New Chapter in Southern California
/in Top Stories/by Mary FarrellTwilight Wish Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Crista Sullivan and Kelly Shemonis as co-directors of the newly-formed Southern California chapter of Twilight Wish Foundation. The new chapter will be based in Santa Monica, CA.
Sullivan has worked in the defense and aerospace industries as a design and product support engineer for the past decade. Since 2003, Sullivan has been volunteering for Make-A-Wish as a wish granter for children with life-threatening illnesses. She is looking forward to using this experience as a wish granter to help launch Twilight Wish Foundation’s Southern California chapter.
“I am excited to be a part of Twilight Wish,” said Sullivan. “I’m hopeful that the addition of the Southern California chapter will enlighten the community on the needs of many deserving seniors in our area.”
Shemonis is currently a wound care nurse with Country Villa Health Services. Prior to this, she worked with a home health agency in New Jersey, providing non-medical homecare and assistance with daily living activities to elderly. This one-on-one experience in homecare led her to her career in nursing. Shemonis eventually hopes to open a board and care for seniors, to give them a home away from home.
“There is a huge need for care in working with seniors, more than providing medical services” said Shemonis. “Seniors deserve attention, our respect and an ear to listen to them in their later years.”
For more information on the Southern California chapter of Twilight Wish Foundation, visit the website at www.twilightwish.org or call (310) 314-3980.
Twilight Wish Welcomes New Chapter in Dallas, TX
/in Top Stories/by Mary FarrellTwilight Wish Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Denise Tennison as director of the newly-formed Dallas, Texas chapter of Twilight Wish Foundation. Tennison brings with her more than 15 years of experience as a volunteer in several nursing homes and two years as a Community Relations Director for a local assisted living facility. As chapter director, she will be making wishes come true for deserving seniors in Texas and making our world a nicer place to age.
“I have always had a strong desire to help the elderly have a better quality of life,” said Tennison. “I am excited and look forward to making wishes come true here in Dallas.” For more information on Tthe Dallas chapter of Twilight Wish Foundation, visit the website at www.twilightwish.org or call (972) 345-2766.
Twilight Wish Partners with Bucks Business Professionals for Second Zumbathon
/in Top Stories/by Mary FarrellTwilight Wish Foundation, in conjunction with Bucks Business Professionals, hosted a Zumbathon fundraiser on Saturday, May 5, 2012 at Cold Spring Elementary School in Doylestown. Over 50 participants attended the charity fundraiser which featured three certified Zumba instructors who donated their time and energy to make the event a success. Over $1,500 was raised to benefit Twilight Wish Foundation and the low-income seniors it serves.
Several local businesses donated to the event including Team Capital Bank, B Spa, Savor, Giant, Acme, Arbonne and SJR Catering. In addition to being a major supporter of the event, Bucks Business Professionals sponsored a dance team of four members who raised $600 for Twilight Wish.
Twilight Wish Welcomes New Chapter Director
/in Top Stories/by Robin KardaneTwilight Wish Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Bailee McCauley as the Fort Worth, Texas Chapter Director. McCauley brings with her more than 15 years of experience in the geriatric social services industry. Through support and advocacy, McCauley works to foster an environment of self worth, respect and dignity for the elderly. She will be making wishes come true for deserving seniors in Texas and making our world a nicer place to age.
A Final Smile from Phyllis
/in Top Stories/by Mary FarrellPhyllis Fay, 88, had her wish to meet David Archuleta granted on January 11, 2012. The last five years of Phyllis’ life was very difficult as she fought breast cancer. During this time, Phyllis also came to know and love a very special young man, David Archuleta. Phyllis was always too ill to attend David’s concerts so her daughter and granddaughter made a request through Twilight Wish for David to visit Phyllis at her home and sing for her. David and songwriter, Sunny Hilden, came to Phyllis’ home, visited with her and her family and David sang “Ave Maria” just for Phyllis. Even though David was on his way to the airport to leave on his trip to the Phillipines that afternoon he and Sunny both felt they should make the visit before he left rather than wait until he returned home in one month. Six days later Phyllis fell at home and hit her head. One week later Phyllis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and seven weeks to the day of David’s visit Phyllis passed away. Many of David’s fans sent her letters, cards, and beautiful hand made gifts to Phyllis which she enjoyed very much.
Bucks Business Professionals to Partner with Twilight Wish Foundation
/in Top Stories/by Mary FarrellBucks Business Professionals, a local business networking organization, is partnering with Twilight Wish Foundation to grant the wishes of low-income seniors in Doylestown and the surrounding areas. As part of the partnership, Bucks Business Professionals plans to contribute their diverse resources, volunteer their time, and sponsor and host special events to benefit Twilight Wish.
“We are energized and excited to make wishes come true,” said president Ruth Ann Roche. “We plan on taking a hands-on approach to wish granting and look forward to working with Twilight Wish.”
Bucks Business Professionals, a Bucks County-bsed organization dedicated to holding members to the highest industry standards, shares business-to-business ideas and leads. Meetings are held on a weekly basis and membership opportunities are available. For more information, please visit www.bucksbusinessprofessionals.com.
Twilight Wish Receives Donation from Dominion
/in Top Stories/by Mary FarrellTwilight Wish Foundation, recently received a donation from The Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion, one of the nation’s largest energy companies. Robert Sauer, Station Director of Fairless Works, one of Dominion’s generating stations, presented a check for $5,000 to the staff of Twilight Wish Foundation. The funding received from The Dominion Foundation will be used to grant simple needs wishes for deserving, low-income elderly.
“Twilight Wish is proud to receive this grant from Dominion towards our simple needs wish granting program,” said Forkin, founder and chairman of the board of Twilight Wish Foundation. “Many more seniors will have their wishes granted, thanks to the generosity of Dominion.”
The Dominion Foundation is dedicated to improving the physical, social and economic well-being of the communities served by Dominion companies. Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 28,200 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,300 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates the nation’s largest natural gas storage system with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company’s website at www.dom.com.
Therapy Dog Helps Grant Erie Woman’s Wish
/in Top Stories/by Mary FarrellEvelyn Black, 80, an Air Force veteran and retired nurse, had her wish for a visit from a Golden Retriever granted on December 5, 2011. Because of several medical issues, Black is rarely able to leave her home and requires continuous oxygen therapy. A single mother, Black also volunteered with the Maria House Project in Erie and as a Eucharistic minister at her church. Special thanks to Therapy Dogs United of Erie, PA for making this poignant wish come true. Click here for news coverage of this wish.