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Never Too Late began
granting wishes for residents in January of 2000 at the Miller's
Senior Living facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. Since that
time, Never Too Late has established relationships with the staff at
dozens of Marion and Hamilton County long-term care facilities.
The receptivity to the cause and purpose of
Never Too Late has been impressive. There have been articles in the
Indianapolis
Star and The
Topics Newspapers. And that's just
newspaper coverage! WISH-TV
8's Dick Wolfsie has featured NTL's
efforts on a regular basis (see video links below) and WRTV
6 honored our founder, Bob Haverstick with
a Leadership Award in May 2003! And let's not forget Channel
13's continued coverage of NTL's ability
to get our beloved senior citizens behind the wheel of very fast
cars at the Speedrome. WIBC
loves to interview our wish recipients and
even the Indianapolis Mayor's Office recognized NTL's contributions
to our elderly by bestowing a Community Service Award to NTL
founder Bob Haverstick in October 2003.
A passionate corps of
volunteers is
emerging to help make these dreams come true for our elder
treasures. They have gotten involved with their time, money and
services and have come away feeling clean, humbled and whole,
knowing that even the smallest ripple of kindness, like showing up
at a nursing home with a birthday balloon, will create such a tidal
wave of joy in a person's life. NTL has inspired others to
take up the cause as well; check out Forever
Young, NTL's first spinoff.
Mostly, Never Too Late is about making
connections, networking in the best sense of the word, making people
feel good about themselves. This program is about taking people who
feel invisible and forgotten and showing them we care just because
they are alive and with us. It is not about what they bring to the
table, or what they can do for us - it is about our remembering them
and honoring them for all they have ever done or been all of their
long lives. This is a full circle treatment, honoring their early
and middle years and treating them with grace and dignity in their
final years.
The ultimate goal for Never Too Late is to
provide a setting of intergenerational exchange, 'where eight-year
olds and eighty-year olds bring meaning and purpose to one another.
Ideally, with time and continued interest, there will be enough
Never Too Late volunteers to adopt the residents at every long-term
care facility in Indiana, so that there is at least one wish a day
being granted in every facility statewide.
The time is right, with the graying of
America, for a Never Too Late to have a lasting impact on the lives
of our elders. According to the Census Bureau, there are currently
34.7 million Americans 65 and older. By 2011, there will be an
estimated 40 million; and by 2050, almost 82 million in this age
category. Now is the time to ask yourself, "How can I
help"? For more information on Never Too Late, contact
Bob
Haverstick @ 317.823.4705.
Watch our Windows Media Player Video
by clicking here.
View our
IRS
Form 990 - You will Need Adobe Acrobat
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