As I’ve grown older my catalog of memories is continuing to grow. I look back fondly on my time spent with family and friends– whether it’s seeing a movie, solving puzzles or reading a book together – the importance of making and cherishing these memories is always on my mind. Every day, Wish of a Lifetime with our partner Brookdale Senior Living, is granting incredible wishes to seniors who, no matter the age, continue to chase their dreams and live their lives to the fullest. Today we are honoring our seniors who have a deep connection to the arts. From singing, to writing, to theater and painting, these men and women have been given the opportunity to pursue their passions from the past and take an art-inspired trip down memory lane.
89-year-old Mary Lou Demur of Brookdale Salem, has been passionate about the arts since she was ten years old. Wanting to share her enthusiasm with others, Mary Lou spent her entire life teaching art students, up until a few years ago when her husband fell ill and passed away. Mary Lou’s family and friends knew how much joy teaching brought her and encouraged her to submit a wish through her Brookdale community. On June 27th, Wish of a Lifetime reconnected Mary Lou with her passion, when she prepared a thorough lesson plan and taught an art class to her Brookdale Community. Being able to share her passion with her community filled her with an energy she hadn’t felt in years and she told her closest friends and family the experience was “thrilling!”
73-year-old Julie Imhoff from Brookdale Grants Pass in Oregon, has had a lifelong passion for theater. At the age of 12, Julie’s mother took her to her first play. Julie said “I was dazzled by theater from that moment on! I have only built upon that 12-year-old’s bedazzlement.” Since then, Julie has attended local theater plays and performances throughout her life, but didn’t become involved in theater until later in life. In her 40s or 50s, Julie returned to college to get a degree in English and Literature. About 4 years ago, a local college was threatening to shut down its theater department. In an effort to keep the theater department up and running, Julie signed up for an acting class. She has since taken 3 acting classes through the college, saying “after the first class I was bit by the acting bug! I was 70 years old when I began acting. It is so much fun. You just get caught up in it.”
From July 12th- 15th, we sent Julie on the trip of a lifetime to New York City. Julie visited MoMA, where she got to see the work of artist Robert Rauschenberg and later that evening, Julie had the opportunity to attend Wicked and meet Wicked cast members, including the lead, and tour the venue. Julie said, “at Wicked we got to go backstage. I’ve got my 84-seat theater at home to compare. It was huge. I got the casts’ autographs too.”
87-year-old Sue Watkins of Brookdale Club Hill, Garland Texas, was a journalist in Dallas for 44 years. Sue wrote for many of the Dallas papers, covering local news and events. Although Sue is retired, her passion for writing and journalism has never faded. She spends much of her time reading and feeding her love for literature and writing in all forms. Since her younger days, Sue has had a specific fascination in Powell’s City of Books, the largest collection of books in the United States, located in Portland, Oregon. Sue has wanted to travel to Portland to experience this historic store and celebrate her love of literature for many years. Wish of a Lifetime and Brookdale granted Sue’s wish on August 25th and sent her and her daughter Mindy to Powell’s bookstore, where they spent 10 hours wandering through the aisles, sharing quotes pulled from the bookshelves, and enjoyed an extensive tour. “…They toured us all around the store and took us to the [Rare Book Room]. There was one book in there that weighs 120 pounds…they even had a first edition Harry Potter book!”
Sue and Mindy had a very special and memorable weekend and will, “never forget the opportunity of a lifetime.”
89-year-old Vera Garner of Brookdale Pikesville in Columbia, MD, has an undeniable love for singing. Growing up Vera could always be found on the stage of the Royal Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland, which had hosted performers from Louis Armstrong to Ethel Waters. When the Royal Theatre was torn down in 1971 due to civil rights riots, she found her new home on stage at her church, New Hope Lutheran. Vera’s passion for singing in the choir was so strong that she continued singing with her husband Mervin, where they both sang with the Handel Choir of Baltimore, Maryland for three years. She continued to sing on the stage of her church until about three years ago when she moved into her Brookdale community. Vera’s Wish of a Lifetime was to return to the stage one more time to celebrate all of her years of performing. Wish of a Lifetime and Brookdale Senior Living made Vera’s wish a reality on October 8th, by partnering with New Lutheran Hope Church to bring Vera back to the stage once more and sing with the choir. Today you will find Vera in great spirits, singing and dancing up and down the halls every chance she gets!
My goal when founding Wish of a Lifetime was to change the stigma around aging and highlight the many ways seniors are living life on their own terms. I am so inspired every day to have had the opportunity to meet countless men and women who are living life on their own terms. They have found a way to inspire joy, share wisdom, and truly experience life. With the help of Brookdale Senior Living, I feel we are providing these individuals with opportunities to renew and celebrate their passions, by returning to activities that incite the many great memories they had throughout their lives.