Residents' dreams come true
It may have seemed like a dream come true for six residents of Quality of Life Services homes as they watched a Penguins game from the Malkin Charity Suite at Consol Energy Center.
But the March 28 trip was courtesy of Don’t Stop Dreamin’, a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to the 1,100 residents in Quality of Life Services’ skilled nursing and personal care homes.
Since incorporating in 2012, Don’t Stop Dreamin’ has made over 50 requests a reality including helicopter rides, casino trips, a 58th anniversary dinner, a wedding ceremony, a book publication and many more.
Mary Sue Tack-Yurek, a QLS partner and chief quality officer, said, “It’s a separate entity. It started out as an internal program. It still only serves residents of Quality Life’s nine homes.”
Residents simply fill out an application.
“It’s for something they want to do or have, but they lack the financial means or the ability to do it on their own,” said Heather Cherry, QLS administrative coordinator.
Examples would include attending a rock concert or a Pirates game.
“We help facilitate that with the resources we have,” said Cherry.
What the program won’t do is pay someone’s ongoing expenses or repeat dreams for the same resident, so as to give everybody an opportunity with the program’s limited resources.
“We average about $500 a dream,” said Cherry.
Walter Whitten, chief information officer for QLS, said the recent outing took the six residents to the Penguins Malkin Charity Suite at Consol Energy Center for a hockey game against the Arizona Coyotes.
Residents and the accompanying aides and driver got to enjoy a full food spread in the suite, watch the game and meet Penguins mascot Iceburgh.
Cherry said the Dreamin’ group was able to use the suite through the generosity of the Penguins Foundation.
“Typically, we will just go to Ticketmaster like anyone else,” said Tack-Yurek.
Tack-Yurek said, “Sporting events are big: the Steelers, Pirates, Washington Wild. We have someone who wants to see the Stones.”
Whitten, said, “We are planning a trip to D.C. A gentleman who was in the Vietnam War, all he wanted to do was to go back to the memorial and pay respects to some of the people he had known in the war.”
Since he is in a wheelchair, Whitten said, the trip will include his wife and a caregiver.
Whitten and Tack-Yurek said dream requests split evenly between experiences such as a trip on the Gateway Clipper or a visit to the Pittsburgh Zoo and requests for electronic devices such as Kindles, iPads or laptops.
Tack-Yurek said a volunteer five-member board of directors meets monthly to consider dream requests.
The organization gets an average of eight to 10 requests a month.
“But we get two or three dream requests a week. We don’t want to wait too long,” said Tack Yurek.
Cherry said the board considers requests and makes decisions between monthly meetings by e-mail.
“I wouldn’t say we have a limit but we only have X amount of dollars,” said Tack-Yurek.
Cherry said a big annual DSD fundraiser coming up is the May 5 Spring Cook Off.
“In the cook-off, staff members and residents compete in food items,” said Cherry. “Money is made from vendors, sponsorships and ticket sales.
In September, the fifth year annual Mr. and Mrs. Quality Life Pageant is the fundraiser. Each home elects a male and female contestant to vie for the title of Mr. and Ms. Quality Life.
And Quality Life Services has started a new campaign this year, an employee payroll deduction of $1 per paycheck for DSD.
“We were able to raise $14,000 in payroll deductions for the program,” Tack-Yurek said.
DSD is also funded by an annual $5,000 grant from the John McCune Charitable Trust, as well as donations from organizations, relatives and the public.
