John M. is an 86-year-old resident of Brendenwood, a Brookdale community in Voorhees, NJ. John’s Wish of a Lifetime was see his grandson, Cole, play in a hockey game with the Nanaimo Clippers.
John has many fond memories of days when he would babysit Cole and they would spend the whole day in the yard playing games and learning about sports. Cole has always been a good athlete and has especially excelled at hockey. John loved watching Cole grow up through the sports he played and attended every one of his little-league through high school hockey games. A talented player, Cole has attracted the attention of college and professional scouts alike and is currently playing with the Nanaimo Clippers, a prep league in British Columbia. John could not be more proud of Cole and where his hard work and dedication have taken him at such a young age. Unfortunately, John has not been able to attend any of Cole’s games in quite some time as the teams he played with took him further and further from New Jersey. When asked why seeing Cole play with the Nanaimo Clippers was his Wish of a Lifetime, John responded with a beautifully prepared speech explaining how he wants nothing more than to congratulate Cole on all the success he has had so far and wish him well as he embarks on what he is sure will be a successful future in hockey.
On December 5th, 2014, Wish of a Lifetime and Brookdale sent John and his daughter, Madeline to Nanaimo, BC to spend the weekend cheering for Cole and the Clippers. John was welcomed to Nanaimo and enjoyed a true VIP experience thanks to the Laura and wonderful staff of the Nanaimo Clippers. The weekend began with Cole presenting John with a custom jersey and flowers on the ice before the first game. John and Madeline then got to sit in a special area of the rink and enjoy the game with hot cocoa and snacks. Cole played excellently through the weekend and John nearly lost his voice cheering at the games. In the evenings, John and Madeline joined the team for dinner and got to spend some quality time with Cole. Madeline told us that John had a wonderful time and absolutely experienced a true Wish of a Lifetime!
