Wish Of A Lifetime

The New Year is a time for new dreams and revisiting old ones. How would you like a hand in making those dreams come true for someone in 2025? If you’ve ever heard a loved one, say that there is something they wish they would have had a chance to do - or if you’ve said it yourself - the “Wish of a Lifetime” program may be able to help.

The program does exactly what its name suggests; it grants wishes to seniors who have a desire to do something they can’t achieve on their own. The program has already granted more than 3,000 wishes and is looking to fulfill even more. Through granting “wishes” the program is redefining aging in America by improving the quality of life and overall emotional health of those age 60 and over.

As a charitable affiliate of AARP, “Wish of a Lifetime” does not pay for vacations but grants life-changing wishes to improve the quality of life for our most distinguished population. Granted wishes have included everything from skydiving to walking the red carpet at a movie premier as the guest of a major star. Wishes can also be simple, like the lady who wanted to see the ocean for the first time or the woman who never got a chance to visit a theme park. “Wish of a Lifetime” has a special spot for veterans and has granted many of their wishes to reconnect with someone they served with or to experience how technology has changed since their days of service.

To become a Wish recipient, you must be at least 60 years old, physically capable of taking part in your wish, and unable to make your wish come true on your own. The application process is simple, and nominations can come from yourself or someone else you know. Applications are available on the “Wish of a Lifetime” website at wishofalifetime.org.

The wish process is surprisingly easy, once an application is received, it is screened to see if it meets the above criteria and then assigned to a Wish specialist. The Wish specialist will then call and “interview” the nominator and the nominee to get additional information for his/her report. Once the report is finished, it is submitted to the Wish Board for approval.

If a Wish is approved, your Wish specialist will contact you and discuss the best time to travel and determine if you will need any special accommodation. They will then take care of all the travel arrangements, trip details, and reservations. All approved Wishes are fully funded for you and one companion so financially, there are no barriers keeping you from your “Wish of a Lifetime.”