Apr 16, 2007

Talkin 'Bout My Generation

Introducing... The Zimmers!

"Growing old doesn't mean giving up"

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Apr 10, 2007

Twilight Wish Advocacy Roles

Sorry to say, we need funding and we were turned down for a grant from a local foundation because Twilight Wish did not demonstrate "systemwide corporate effectiveness" which according to their representative meant that we were NOT doing advocacy work and "granting wishes was a direct service" and they wouldn't fund direct services. WELL - that got me thinking about everything we are accomplishing and here are our new advocacy statements.

Twilight Wish Foundation Advocacy Statements

Twilight Wish inspires hope among the “forgotten generation.” We engage all generations from children through baby boomers to help make the wishes of older generations come true. Firsthand experiences of wish granters during the process itself perpetuates our mission into the future. We do presentations and advocate for younger generations to recognize the importance of providing thanks, remembrance and caring towards older generations through providing special shining moments.

Twilight Wish uses its media power to build awareness and affect cultural change in the way the nation cares for its elder generations. Not only do we answer the basic needs and wishes for food, clothing and shelter…we also fulfill the higher level, spiritual wishes and in the words of a 79 year old, Libby Magness, who’s wish to be in a parade was granted on Thanksgiving Day of 2006, “you keep the candle lit.” As America becomes more aware of the need for total “mind, body, spirit” health, Twilight Wish’s mission will be recognized as important as basic needs fulfillment no matter what the wish entails.

Twilight Wish garners the political attention and builds awareness of elder issues to affect policy makers. Elders are requesting to have teeth pulled, dentures, hearing aids, visual magnifiers…and this leads us to question our systems and advocate for basic common rights recognizing quality of life issues. Twilight Wish teaches the nation we need to do a better job restoring respect and creating elder dignity by individual person centered care and addressing laws that affect this care and protect the individual rights of the indigent elderly.

Twilight Wish is a resource for management of eldercare facilities to promote change in the way they operate enhancing people centered behavior and actions resulting in increased respect and dignity.

Twilight Wish is a mechanism that empowers caregivers and eldercare facility employees and creates a cultural change when they witness firsthand the respect paid to residents.

Claire, Happy Birthday, from your first son, Robert

Robert suffers from many things including AIDS and he wanted to do something really nice for his mom just from him to let her know that he always loved her...Claire had a birthday yesterday (4/9) ...and she recieved beautiful spring flowers from Robert with a very special note. Wish #756.

Elizabeth N. receives award for volunteerism

Wish #755 - long time in the making...Elizabeth N. prefers to remain anonymous and have no fanfare...but her family tricked her into coming out yesterday (4/9) and we got to recognize her for her lifetime volunteerism efforts with Boyscouts and Girlscouts and cancer societies among others...with a luncheon where four generations of her family including Theresa, Angela and Marissa were present along with Cass Forkin (me) of Twilight Wish and Tricia Gallagher, author and also founder of A Team of Angels...(on Oprah three times). Elizabeth was presented with a personalized plaque on a beautiful print of callalillies drawn by a famous Bucks County artist, Khara Flint, especially for Twilight Wish because they symobolize "beautiful."

"Internet Legacy" online storytelling for our elders

Get inspired! Read this NYT article about how seniors are creating blogs, videos and other ways to tell their stories online. (NYT Registration is required). Thank you Doc Searls for blogging about it.

Or, you can go directly to some of the "Internet Legacy" sites mentioned:
Time Goes By by Ronni Bennett
Geriatric 1927 (video blog - vlog) by Peter Oakley
The Paratrooper's Story by Guy Anhorn in suburban Philadelphia
WWII Veteran's story by his daughter Judy Loken
The Heartbeat of Hideho by Cab Calloway's daughter

Seniors, check out "The Elder Storytelling Place" at Ronni Bennett's blog and submit your story by sending it to her. (Write "Elder Storytelling Place" in the subject line, and tell them we sent you.)

Apr 3, 2007

Reverend Jessie D. Thurman presented with the Mary Kathleen Forkin Award from Twilight Wish Foundation for his spirit and integrity

Last October Twilight Wish chose one of our first ever annual awards to be given to an incredible senior at our NIght of 111 Stars annual dinner/dance/award ceremony. This senior was not well enough to travel to Bucks County, PA from Eden, NC...so his family decided to wait to tell him until just the right moment when they could present it to him.

Well, the moment finally arrived.

I received an email from Eunice R. today telling me that her father was presented with the award on February 18, 2007 (formally Wish #754 now.) Twilight Wish chose Rev. Jessie D. Thurman, 86, to receive this award because of his goodness and kindness and integrity to everyone. He is not a rich man, but, he always gave to everyone and he is fair and just.

A story Eunice wrote resonates with me always. One Christmas Eve her father walked three miles back to his work to tell them he had been given an extra $20 in his Christmas bonus. His work had failed to tell him him they gave him two $20 bills that year. Eunice put a wish in for her father over a year ago and told us she did not know what to ask for him because he never asks for anything for himself. Eunice and I went through many ideas and ended up deciding he should recieve Twilight Wish' first ever award for Spirit and Integrity demonstrated by a senior...the Kathleen Mary Forkin Award...a beautiful wooden framed tile designed for Twilight Wish by famous Bucks County tile artist, Khara Flint. The inscription said it all.

Eunice wrote that her father's church played "When You Wish Upon a Star" right before the presentation of the award in Eden, North Carolina. Her father "was speechless and had a million dollar smile on his face and that was worth a million dollars to me."

Eunice also wrote that "there are thousands of deserving senior citizens out there and I pray that Twilight Wish Foundation will reap abundantly in donations so that many senior citizens can have a wish come true. God bless."

I believe Eunice is right and from her mouth to God's ears! Thank you for reading this story and have a great day:) - Cass

Bedridden 83 year old Sarah's dream comes true for an extreme makeover bedroom

Saturday, 3/31/07, it was Sarah's day to finally have her wish granted. Her wish was submitted by her friend and one of her caregivers, Ruth R., LSW with Abramson Center in January of 2006. It was to make over a room in the middle of the house into a bedroom for Sarah who was living in a very dark cold room in the back of the house. Twilight Wish first visited Sarah in March of 2006 during the original site visit. The home was in poor condition.

The floor in the room to be made over had a hole and it was questionable. Twilight Wish requested an expert give an opinion and it turned out that joists needed reinforcement before anything else could happen. Twilight Wish had some difficulty. We had a volunteer flooring company from New York agree to the work but at the last minute on the day they were scheduled to do the work, they no-showed. Then, a board member stepped in and asked a friend to do the work...much thanks to James Canale who paid for the carpeting and Jim Morris of Morris Contractors who did the flooring we were finally able to move ahead.

Sarah insisted on her favorite color from swatches she was shown even though we feared it may be too dark...the color was "Plum Blossom" found at Home Depot. The color of the carpet was a medium blue/grey. I found a gorgeous cream colored bedding package at Boscov's including a 300 count sheets/pillowcases, comforter, dust ruffle, and three decorator pillows. I showed them to Mary Forkin, designer extraordinaire...this is what she had to work with and pull altogether at the last moment. No easy feat. Wait till you see the artwork, pillows, curtains, decorator lamp, decorator chair, wall hangings, picture frames and other paraphernalia she picked out...incredible.

The crew for the working day included myself, Gene Petrucci, my sister, Mary Forkin (who pulled the design work altogether), three Amazing Members of Philadelphia Boy Scout Troop #303 including Mike Coleman, William Veasy and Shakoor Mathlin...and two of their Amazing Leaders, Robert Gallaway and Troy German. I am going to post pictures of the before and after. We worked from 9:15am straight through until 7pm with some lunch and then later some pizza and hot wings thanks to Mary. Cleaning windows, cleaning woodwork, painting gripper on the old paneling, painting primer on the ceiling and then painting the second coats of the paint...white on the ceiling and "plum blossom" on the walls. Mike became our premier "trim" guy. Troy and Gene took on the ceiling. Everyone contributed. No slackers. White on the woodwork. Painting on crumbling plaster...quite a feat that Shakoor and Gene took on and mastered.

The end result was astonishing. The Boy Scouts were amazed at the transformation and called it an "Extreme Makeover of the Room" and they witnessed Sarah's face when she saw it for the first time as she entered the room with her walker. Sarah sat in the new rocking chair donated by my brother, Joe Forkin, and wept while thanking us and praising God. She was so happy she called it a new house...her daughter reminded her it was a new room. Then, Boy Scout Mike asked if Mary would decorate his bedroom when he gets married. Gracie, Sarah's daughter and caregiver, and I were both fascinated with the new tranquility of the room. Everyone left very pleased at the amazing transformation and at the smile on Sarah's face.

Twilight Wish #753 was now completed.