Audio of Jeremy Bloom at growingbolder.com

Posted on July 7th, 2012 at 5:26 am

Jeremy Bloom is a man who made his own dreams come true and now he's helping other live theirs, too.

Jeremy is a three-time world champion, two-time Olympian and 11-time World Cup gold medalist in freestyle moguls skiing. He was an All-American football player at the University of Colorado who went on to play for two NFL teams.

After his playing days were over, he was a broadcaster for college football games on Fox and attended the prestigious Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 2008, he launched an amazing organization called Jeremy Bloom's Wish of a Lifetime, which grants wishes to those 80 and older.

He says the inspiration for the group came from his own grandparents, particularly his grandmother. He says she lived with his family for nearly two decades and he was always amazed by her strength, selflessness and joy in life. And as his first ski instructor, beginning at the age of 3, his grandfather helped launch a career that would take him around the world.

During those travels, Jeremy says he began to notice how other cultures seemed to honor, respect and even revere their elders much more than we do. He wanted to find a way to honor the amazing men and women of our country who fought at young ages to defend our freedom, survive the Great Depression and make America what it is today.

In its first year, Wish of a Lifetime granted four wishes. This year, Jeremy says they will grant more than 400 -- more than one a day.

He explains what kind of wishes they are granting, particularly for a generation of people who are so used to giving and reluctant to ask for things for themselves.

Jeremy gives examples of some of the touching wishes they've made come true and reveals some of the most common wish requests.

To find out more about this incredible program and to find out how you can help make a lifetime-long wish comes true for a senior who is special to you, visit seniorwish.org.