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Jeremy Bloom Offers Seniors A 'Wish Of A Lifetime'

DENVER (CBS4) - Everybody has heard of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to sick children. But former Olympian Jeremy Bloom has put a different spin on that concept -- he's enriching lives by granting wishes to senior citizens.

Bloom's "Wish of a Lifetime" organization was part of CBS4's 12 Days of Christmas series. Vic Lombardi caught up with Bloom to talk about the great cause.

Everybody loves a parade. Sherry Broderick, 81, just happens to love them more than most.

"I just became fascinated with parades and I always thought how neat it would be to build a float and decorate it for a parade," Broderick said. "I watch the Rose Bowl Parade and I go to bed thinking, 'I could do this and I could do that. And I would like to make this one and that one.' And then I realize that it would never come about."

That is, until Bloom came along. He's in the business of making dreams come true.

"People have grandparents in life. You know they think about their parents, they think about their grandparents, and they want to do something for them," Bloom said. "The whole idea of Wish of a Lifetime is to give Sherry a platform to tell her amazing story."

Ever since she was a little girl, Broderick dreamed of attending the Rose Bowl Parade. Thanks to Wish of a Lifetime, she'll get an all-expenses paid trip to Pasadena for the "Grandaddy of Them All."

"So when I got the call saying you were working on it, I thought, 'Oh my God, it really is coming true,' " Broderick told Bloom.

Not only will Broderick get to watch the parade, she'll actually get to help build one of the floats.

"It amazes me that all of this happens and I could be a part of it now. That is like you getting a gold medal," Broderick told Bloom, laughing.

"I loved winning in skiing and I loved winning football games, but the feeling of helping Sherry, you know, with a lifelong passion that started as a child that she thought was a lost cause," Bloom said.

"You don't know what it means, you really don't know what it means to have a wish like this fulfilled. It's crazy," Broderick said.

Bloom started Wish of a Lifetime in 2008. He granted eight wishes that year. Three years later they average a wish per day.

If you know someone over the age of 65 who has a wish of a lifetime, learn more about Wish of a Lifetime at seniorwish.org.

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