Community Stories

Do you know someone with the Wish of a Lifetime?

November 15, 2021

Heart2Heart is on a quest for wishes!

We’ve partnered with AARP’s Wish of a Lifetime, which helps people fulfill lifelong goals. The organization aligns with Heart2Heart’s core values of connecting with those in isolation to restore purpose and provide hope.

We’re asking our volunteers and family caregivers to tell us about the wishes of their loved ones and senior friends. We know that those who regularly interact with our senior saints and who hear their most interesting life stories will be best equipped to uncover a special wish.

Wish of a Lifetime has granted more than 2,000 wishes since it was founded in 2008. Our new friend and Wish Ambassador Ivonhe Mantilla (who just became a Heart2Heart volunteer!) said that the wishes that have bene granted over the years have varied greatly.

“The wishes are very eclectic,” Ivonhe said. “There’s no limit.”

Wishes usually fall into one of four categories: renewing and celebrating passions, such as longstanding hobbies and activities; connecting with loved ones; commemorating a senior’s service to the country; and fulfilling lifelong dreams, allowing the recipient to do something for the first time.

If you’d like to honor a senior saint but aren’t sure what they would wish for, Wish of a Lifetime recommends you learn more about their story. Ask your friend or loved one about their favorite experiences and what passions or hobbies they pursued throughout their lifetime. Ask them to tell you about the important people in their lives.

If you know of a specific wish, please contact us at 954-315-2218! We will help submit the wish to be reviewed and vetted by Wish of a Lifetime.

Wish recipients should be 65 years or older and be a U.S. citizen or documented resident.

 

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Join the Team!

Becoming a Heart2Heart volunteer means that you are dedicated to serving the aging community. It means you want to connect in a meaningful way to a specific individual or to several people. It means you are committed to a consistent amount of time per month – whether that’s several hours a week or just a few hours per month.

Heart2Heart volunteers must be background checked and trained. Our training can be completed from your home on your computer or device, through the online Volunteer Portal. We run fingerprints in our office in Fort Lauderdale, and you can schedule an appointment with us after you finish the training.

The first step is to create an account on our Volunteer Portal. To get started, click here!

Read more …

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We were inspired by the story of Rashaad Green, an inspirational student we met at a college volunteer fair. At 22 years old, he is helping homeless people, including a 64-year-old senior, and he’s started a club that will bring art therapy to seniors. He dreams of one day curing cancer and opening a permanent and temporary housing facility for the homeless.

The Glamorous Stories of a 1940s Broadway Dancer

The Glamorous Stories of a 1940s Broadway Dancer

Lillian Flowers is 98. She lives alone in Fort Lauderdale.

She used to dance on Broadway.

While volunteer Steve Retford is helping her get services she needs, he gets a front row seat to glamorous stories from Broadway, filled with famous theater producers, celebrities (she dated Dean Martin briefly), and traveling through a life of show biz.

We extended his front row seat so you can listen to Lillian’s stories too.

Heart2Heart Welcomes New Staff — in a New Space!

Heart2Heart Welcomes New Staff — in a New Space!

In case you haven’t met them in person yet, we introduced the new additions to our team:

– Rosevel “Rosie” Castro, outreach coordinator
– Peighton Stone, dietician and intern with us from Nova Southeastern University for eight weeks

Some of our team got new roles, too. Check out all the details about that — and our new office!