My Nonprofit Reviews

Twilight Wish Foundation grants wishes to seniors in order" to make the world a nicer place to age, one wish at a time." I personally have been involved in granting wishes and can say first hand that they are doing this in order to make life better for seniors. Period. They are pure of heart and have been extraordinarily effective at granting wishes. It was a joy to work with them and I hope they continue to grant wishes for years to come.

Circle of Miracles Ministries has been my community for about 13 years. It is a community filled with people honestly learning to walk their talk. The classes a great, their ministry school is a wonderful way to learn more about yourself and how to run a ministry. Something I have heard over and over from people on their first visit, "I feel like I finally came home." That's what it felt like for me. If you haven't been there yet, you should come and try it out. Chances are good that you will be glad you did.

Twilight Wish Foundation is an amazing non-profit. A 78 year young lady, Margarette Kirsch contacted them, saying she had wanted all her life to take a trip in an 18-wheeler. Cass, the head of Twilight Wish Foundation contacted me through a mutual friend and asked if I would be willing to take this woman on a cross-country truck trip. I had recently retired from a career as a truck driver. I agreed.

It took us a year to put everything together including legal hurdles, 18-wheeler truck rental with a trailer, trip itinerary, lodging, meals, pr and funding. Funding was difficult because everything I just mentioned cost money... and lots of it. This was not cheap by any means. Cass kept the faith through thick and thin that we were going to do this trip and grant this wish for Margarette. The funding came through a mere 2 weeks before our launch date. The rest of us were surprised and delighted, but Cass works on faith and was not surprised at all, though she was very delighted.

We would take my dog and along the way we stopped at retirement communities and Margarette, now 80, gave inspiring talks to the residents, I would sing some songs accompanying myself on guitar as my Pomeranian made herself available for petting by anyone who wanted.

We drove all the way from PA to Los Angeles along the northern route, then from Los Angeles to Florida where I dropped Margarette off at her home. The whole thing took 2 weeks to complete, covered 7000 miles total and was a life-changing experience for me.

We had some exciting adventures along the way. Like the time our truck broke down in a Colorado rest area far from any city. Margarette was wonderful. We lay on our backs on the green grass and shared imagined shapes with the clouds as we waited for rescue. Or the time we stopped off with no more than 30 minutes notice to a Rotary Meeting in Blythe, CA and Margarette gave such an inspiring talk that we walked away with contributions to the trip.

I also learned much about the power of faith. One big demonstration was Cass raising the funding. Another was hearing Margarette speak to the residents of the facilities on our trip. Margarette had a speech worked up for the groups in the communities and she did a great job inspiring our elderly to continue to do their best, regardless of anything else. She used herself as a shining example of how one can age actively.

Then one day we walked into a facility where nearly everyone was physically incapacitated in some way, many were rolled in on gurneys, others in wheelchairs. I had gotten to the room first, as usual, holding Quark, my dog, out so the residents could pet her and receive her love. I wondered what Margarette would talk about to these people, as activity was not an option for them. As she entered the room I watched her closely. She was surprised at first for about half a second, then a peace and joy filled her demeanor as she walked in and took her place at the front of the room. When she spoke, it was a whole new talk. She started talking about having met Rose Kennedy when she was a little girl and how Rose had inspired her to live life to the fullest, regardless of the situation. She spoke of using one's imagination to captain your boat and still reach the destinations your heart yearns for.

I knew in that moment that I was a small piece of something much bigger than any of us. This was a wish that all these people had asked for too. Twilight Wish Foundation was granting hundreds, if not more wishes with this trip. Cass and me, the staff at TWF and Margarette were working for the Greater Good, whatever it may be called. We were a wish-granting team whose effects would keep expanding long after we were gone.

I have carried this faith with me ever since. Margarette and I are still friends that keep in touch without social media. We call and we visit. Everyone involved in this wish was granted their own wish simultaneously. For a short video about this truck trip follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ezO_XhH-n0

Thank you Cass for putting all of this into motion. You will never know what a big difference you make in the world.

Circle of Miracles is a welcoming group where all kinds of ideas about life (and much more) are shared and cultivated. They have a great ministry school where you can take a deep dive into what makes you do the things you do and how to take the reins back. It's all about you. Come learn, share and help expand the Circle of Miracles community.