Local Seniors To Achieve Their Lifelong Dream: Flying On A New Jersey Health Care Company’s Blimp

We all have a lifelong dream. Maybe it’s to play in the NBA or snag the prettiest girl at the ball. Maybe it’s to write the world’s greatest novel or to one day learn how to juggle kittens.

Today at 10 a.m., as set up by the the Twilight Wish Foundation, six seniors from the Philadelphia area will finally achieve their lifelong dreams: Flying on the Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey blimp.

Wait, that’s it? I know that if I were a senior and a foundation that grants wishes for seniors came to me asking what I wanted to do, I’d come up with something involving whipped cream and four 25-year-olds. (And then afterward, we’d go outside and play with Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies. While Merrill Reese announced. Then we’d drive around in a flying car.)

Anyway, I think it’s quite cute (and awesome) than these seniors’ are going to get to ride in a blimp today. They all have different reasons, but the best two are from Betty Frey (”Betty saw the remains of the Hindenburg after it crashed. Now, 70 years later, she feels it’s finally safe enough to ride!”) and Valentine Sidle (”Valentine saw a blimp in 1927, when she was in grade school. She has dreamed of riding ever since.”). Plus, since these guys are going to just be riding in a blimp, in 60 years or so maybe the Twilight Wish Foundation will have enough money left for me to achieve my dreams. (Also, we’d drive the flying car to an Eagles game.)

Full release after the jump.

SIX STORIES, ONE LIFELONG DREAM: TWILIGHT WISH FOUNDATION FULFILLS SIX SENIOR WISHES OF FLOATING IN A BLIMP

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Twilight Wish Foundation, an organization that grants wishes to qualifying seniors, coordinated with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ), the state’s oldest and largest health insurer, to fulfill the lifelong wishes of six special seniors on September 19. Dreams of floating 1,000 feet above the earth will come true as they board the Horizon BCBSNJ Blimp. The wish recipients will ride aboard one of only 20 airships in the world.

Each passenger contacted Twilight Wish Foundation to request a blimp ride to fulfill a unique lifelong dream. Each passenger is a resident of either Wesley Enhanced Living at Heritage Towers in Doylestown, PA or Wesley Enhanced Living at Evangelical Manor in Philadelphia, PA.

These are their stories:

• Betty Frey, 84, of Doylestown, PA. Betty saw the remains of the Hindenburg after it crashed. Now, 70 years later, she feels it’s finally safe enough to ride!
• Ruth Berreth, 85, of Doylestown, PA. Ruth has always had an affinity for flying, dreaming of a career as an airline stewardess. She previously planned a hot air balloon ride, but was unable to launch.
• Valentine Sidle, 88, of Doylestown, PA. Valentine saw a blimp in 1927, when she was in grade school. She has dreamed of riding ever since.
• Clifton Covington, 78 of Philadelphia, PA. Cliff always enjoyed flying on vacations with his wife. He always wanted to fly in something other than an airplane.
• Harold DeShong, 79 of Philadelphia, PA. Harold considers himself an adventurist. He flew planes in WWII in Japan and has traveled all over the world with his wife of 50 years (now deceased). He loves flying, having flown in a hot air balloon on his 75th birthday, and would love to add the blimp to his list.
• Norine Laumer, 82 of Philadelphia, PA. Norine has never “done anything like this before,” so she jumped at the chance to do something adventurous. When she was growing up, her family vacationed in Long Beach Island, and she is looking forward to seeing Steel Pier from the sky.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, with headquarters in Newark, is New Jersey’s largest health insurer, providing coverage to more than 3.2 million people. Horizon BCBSNJ’s company Web site is located at www.HorizonBlue.com. Horizon BCBSNJ is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

Wesley Enhanced Living continuing care retirement communities are non-profit, non-denominational living environments with a mission to deliver a purposeful life to residents. Serving over 1,000, with more than 600 employees throughout Pennsylvania, Wesley Enhanced Living communities at Heritage Towers, Maple Village, Pilgrim Gardens and Evangelical Manor provide independent and assisted living, as well as skilled nursing services. The organization also manages two HUD subsidized housing facilities for seniors, Meadow House and Manor Glen, in the Philadelphia region. Wesley Enhanced Living is headquartered in Southampton, Pa. For more information, call: 215.354.0565, or visit www.WEL.org.

The Twilight Wish Foundation is a 501(c) (3) charitable non-profit organization that seeks to celebrate seniors and show them that younger generations have not forgotten about them. The organization has grown rapidly since it began in 2003 in Doylestown. So far, Twilight Wish Foundation has granted more than 680 wishes for individuals and nursing homes and organized many other special events to bring joy into seniors’ lives. Wishes are granted to qualifying seniors with the help of contributions and donations from others. For more information about donating, volunteering, corporate sponsorships, or assisting in any way, call 1-877-TWF-WISH (1-877-893-9474) or visit www.TwilightWish.org.