|
|
 |
|
...from Second Wind Dreams
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Members, Friends & Supporters,
 All of us at Second Wind Dreams wish you a safe and happy holiday weekend. During this time, we hope you will take a moment to visit with a veteran and thank them for their service to our country and for all they have done and continue to do to preserve our freedoms!
We are truly grateful!
A lot is happening with Second Wind Dreams and we can't wait to share some incredible dream stories with you this week! Also, be sure and take a moment to visit our new and improved website! There is a new 'members only' section and many more feautures to come!
Be sure  and  too! |
|
There are only a few days left to vote for Second Wind Dreams in the Chase Community Giving grant program through Facebook! We hope you will follow the link below and vote today! We would love to at least be in the top 200 - which means we need you to spread the word to all of your friends and send them to the Chase link to vote for Second Wind Dreams. It takes just a few seconds. When you follow the link, it will ask you to sign in to your Facebook first. Don't have a Facebook profile, it only takes a moment to sign up for one and it could mean $20,000 or more for dreams! After you sign into your facebook account, follow this link to Chase Community Giving. Once there, it will ask you to "like" the page and then there will be a button to "VOTE" on the right hand side. Be sure and click the "VOTE" button to have your vote counted toward the grant for Second Wind Dreams! |
|
Up Up & Away!
As the old saying goes, "Third time is charm."
It was the third try Thursday, but Ethel Sparks, 89, finally fulfilled her lifelong dream of riding in a hot air balloon. The first two planned trips had to be cancelled, one when Sparks got sick, and a second time when heavy storms hit the area.
The liftoff came about 9 a.m. at Clinton Nature Preserve on Ephesus Church Road, with a clear sky and hot temperatures greeting the group of about 20 family members and friends who turned out to witness the event and cheer the brave rider. The trip was a tethered flight, with two ropes limiting the altitude to about 100 feet.
"I'm very excited right now. I can't wait to get off the ground," Sparks said as she sat in her wheelchair, drinking ice water and resting in the shade of a tent.
This was her second adventure of the past week. Last Saturday she took a helicopter tour over downtown Atlanta.
The Thursday balloon ride was a wish granted by Second Wind Dreams and Daryl Tatum of Balloons Over Georgia, a Cumming company, who donated the ride.
Tatum, who piloted Sparks' ride, said his company's main business is taking passengers on balloon flights. He said rides cost $225 per person and usually two to four people go up in the balloon.
"I like doing this whenever I can," he said, shortly before Thursday's liftoff. He did a similar wish ride last week for a 35-year-old Alabama cancer patient.
"He's been called out here three times, and he's been as patient as he can be," Troxtel said of Tatum.
Others participating in the launch included Sparks' daughter, Ginger Dees; Patsy Driver, patient care coordinator, and Neal Beard, chaplain, for Altus Healthcare and Hospice, Inc., who are treating Sparks, and Antwanna Neal, Douglasville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where Sparks is a resident.
As for her next adventure, Sparks said, "I haven't thought of anything yet," then added, "but I will."
|
|
Golf fan, 95, goes to LPGA
The excitement was still radiating on her face as she described her ride in a golf cart, meeting Dimples the golf ball, and attending "A Conversation with Champions" - all part of the tournament at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford.
Mrs. Cramer, 95, a resident at Quail Summit Senior Living Community in Canandaigua, learned to play golf with her husband of 61 years, Richard Cramer, at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford.
She has stories about when Oak Hill first allowed women to become members,
memories from the Friday "Scotch Couple Nights" more than 50 years ago, and photos of the two of them at a medieval-themed celebration there.
Even after all these years, there was still that interest in golf, and a desire to see a professional tournament up close.
When her son Douglas nominated her for the Second Wind Dreams program at Quail Summit, people started lining things up.
It all came together on June 23, when she was part of the crowd in the ESL Champions Pavilion for "All Things Major, A Conversation With Champions," presented by the Polisseni Agency of Pittsford, and the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership at the University of Rochester.
Panelists included soccer star Abby Wambach and Olympic Gold Medal skier Diann Roffe, as well as LPGA players Christina Kim, Meg Mallon and Betsy Rawls; Gail Graham, president of the LPGA Tournament Owners Association, was the moderator.
Seeing Rawls again was a special thrill for Mrs. Cramer, whom she knew from when they were both members at Oak Hill.
Rawls won the LPGA Championship in 1959 and 1969, the U.S. Women's Open in 1951, 1953, 1957 and 1960, becoming the first person to win it four times; and the Western Open in 1952 and 1959. She retired from competitive golf in 1975.
Accompanying Mrs. Cramer for the day's activities were her son Douglas, who had nominated her; Jean Chapin, her best friend from Quail Summit; and Amy Werth and Julie Chiccino, the life enrichment director and community outreach director respectively, at the facility. During some of the rides, she even sported the golf hat she'd used while playing at Oak Hill. |
A Dream Come True - As Told by a Volunteer Dreamweaver!
 Senior's Dream to visit Mt. Charleston Comes TrueMy name is Tara Galauska and my sister Jay Moody and I volunteer for Harrah's H.E.R.O's and the Second Wind Dream Organization. Second Wind Dreams is about helping make the dreams of our local seniors come true, which is exactly what happened for Clarence Bartley on June 12th. For the majority of locals and our tourist taking a short ride to Mt. Charleston is not much of a task, you either get in a car or tour bus and away you go. Because Clarence suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and is paralyzed from the neck down, making this trip was a miracle! With the help of the Silver Ridge Health Care Center, Medicwest Ambulance Company and The Resort at Mt. Charleston we were able to take Clarence to see Mt. Charleston and even have lunch at the resort! At 11:00 am Chris, Nadine and Craig from Medicwest transported Clarence to his awaiting chariot, an ambulance with all the lights flashing! They made sure to have him positioned so that he was able to see out the window on the way up and down the mountain. Once we arrived at The Resort at Mt. Charleston, we were greeted by Tim James, the Food & Beverage Manager. He was as excited about our visit as we were! He led us to the lounge area where a place was cleared by the window so that Clarence could enjoy the view, while other staff members such as Chef Charlie, Gina the Events Manager and Jason the General Manager all stopped by to talk to Clarence and to make sure that all of his needs were met. After a little while of "sight seeing" we were escorted to the main dining area where the table right in the middle of the room was waiting for us! Chef Charlie prepared some of Clarence's favorite food, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn bread were served to all of us by Renee compliments of the resort! The food, service and company were amazing and having known Clarence for over a year now I can honesty say that I have never seen him smile so much and shed as many happy tears as he did on this day. Without the help of the before mentioned people and the companies they work for, none of this could have happened. While I know how happy Clarence was with all of this, I believe all of us involved were happier just to be apart of his dream. |
|
We would love to share your dream stories here! Please send an email to me at laurie@secondwind.org. I'd love to hear about the way you are changing the perception of aging!
Sincerely,
Laurie Labishak
Membership & Chapter Development Director Second Wind Dreams |
|
4343 Shallowford Road
Marietta, Georgia 30062
678-624-0500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
