Two-Time Olympic Athlete Launches Wish-Granting Program to Connect Volunteers With U.S. Seniors

DENVER, CO--(Marketwired - Jul 23, 2013) - Wish of a Lifetime, a 501(c)3 dedicated to fulfilling the Wishes of senior citizens, today announced the launch of its new Wish-granting program, Wish Connect. Through an open-source network, Wish Connect enables people of all ages to discover and engage with seniors within their community in a very meaningful and life-enriching way.

Founded in 2008 by former NFL player and two-time free-skiing Olympian Jeremy Bloom, Wish of a Lifetime aims to foster the respect and appreciation for seniors by granting their life-enriching Wishes. Having granted more than 650 Wishes in 39 states, Bloom and team hope that with the affectivity of Wish Connect they will be able to more than double that number in the next five years.

"This is a cause that is very dear to my heart," states CEO and Founder Jeremy Bloom. "My own grandmother was my inspiration, and I realized her desire to have her life-enriching Wish fulfilled was accompanied by many of her peers. More than 7 million elderly Americans are affected by depression, and in an internal survey, 93% of participating seniors claimed their personal quality of life was improved after having their Wish fulfilled. Wish Connect will increase the awareness we need amongst the youth in our communities to make an impactful difference in the lives of countless seniors."

In April of 2013, Denver-based DISH employees used the Wish Connect program to discover, plan, fundraise and fulfill Alma Sewell's lifelong dream of visiting Graceland in Memphis, TN. The road to Graceland commenced as Sewell departed from Denver International Airport with a flash-mob send-off and personal letter from local mayor Michael Hancock.

"Our Denver-based team at DISH had been looking to expand their philanthropic efforts, but were unsure of where to start," said Nick Slater, VP of Sales at DISH. "Wish Connect provided a simple and polished process for us to identify Alma Sewell who Wished to fulfill her lifelong dream of visiting Graceland. Once we started the process, Wish of a Lifetime provided us with all the external tools we needed to fulfill the Wish. Even as a large corporation, we still needed help when it came to making a Wish come true. It was a life-enriching experience for both Alma, as well as everyone on the DISH team who was involved."

In addition to facilitating a greater number of Wishes, Wish Connect aims to inspire our entire culture to change their views of the aging population. Wish Connect will cultivate the Wish of a Lifetime mission by encouraging volunteers to become Wish advocates to further enrich the lives of deserving seniors.

Wish of a Lifetime's annual event commemorating seniors hosted on July 20, 2013 raised over $175,000 dollars to help fund the Wish of a Lifetime cause.

About Wish of a Lifetime
Wish of a Lifetime™ fosters respect and appreciation for deserving seniors by fulfilling their life-enriching Wishes. Founded by two-time Olympic skier, World Cup gold medalist, entrepreneur, and former NFL football player Jeremy Bloom in 2008 in living honor of his grandmother, Wish of a Lifetime encourages the public to take an active role in granting Wishes through its Wish Connect program. Wish of a Lifetime has made more than 600 Wishes come true for seniors in 39 states and the District of Columbia. 93 percent of Wish recipients stated they felt their quality of life improved after having their Wish granted and 76 percent said they felt their overall health improved after experiencing a Wish. Learn more and join our Wish Connect program to help fulfill a senior's Wish by visiting www.seniorWish.org.