OLATHE, Kan.— The family of 97-year-old Jessie Cole of Olathe say that he is dying. His pacemaker is failing, and that there isn’t any way to replace it. He also lost his wife of 73 years earlier this year, leaving him heartbroken. But on Thursday afternoon, a group that grants dying wishes to adults made one of his dreams come true – thanks to a little help from a monkey.
Montecito’s Jarryd Commerford is always up for a challenge. The 24-year-old for- mer George Washington University student, whose grandfather, Stan Fishman, is one of the founding members of the popular Santa Barbara charity, the Dream Foundation, is joining his former classmate, Philadelphia based Simon Linsley, 23, in one of the world’s most challenging races in Shillong, Meghalaya, one of India’s smallest states, in September.
The 14-day, 2,000-mile race to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan is done in a three-wheeled rickshaw known as a tuk-tuk, powered by a seven-horse- power lawnmower engine, which can go up to 30 mph on flat roads, but, as Jarryd loudly laughs, “unlimited downhill!”
Aquarium visit, stay at hotel give family gift of time together
A stingray hovered overhead as Brett Rogers’ family wheeled him under a glass tunnel at the Downtown Aquarium in Denver.
Most of the family members stood in awe, stretching their necks to get a view of the roaming sea creature, but 5-year-old Lyndsey couldn’t contain her excitement.
“What an amazing day,” she exclaimed before darting to the next tank.
It’s not just a life-long love of the Green Bay Packers that made Doug Heiskell a Brett Favre fan.
Favre’s gunslinger mentality and grit had a hand in winning over the 53-year old Parsons man.
“One thing I really admire about him is that he’s like me; he’s a fighter,” Heiskell said over the phone.
Heiskell, seven months into a battle with pancreatic cancer, was calling Saturday night from Minneapolis, where earlier in the day he watched the Vikings practice and then spent about 10 minutes talking to the 41-year old quarterback. On Monday he’ll watch the Vikings take on the New York Giants from lower-level seats at Mall of America Field.
The Santa Barbara-based Dream Foundation has received a four-star rating (the highest possible) by Charity Navigator for the fourth year in a row, says a recent press release. The four-star rating is given to only 13 percent of the over 5,000 national charities listed.
Charity Navigator investigates the fiscal responsibility of a charity by examining program expenses, administrative expenses, and fundraising expenses. It uses those costs to determine a foundation’s efficiency.