Four years ago, Katie Mahoney was juggling school and a restaurant job when a Facebook friend nominated her to perform an act of kindness for someone who truly deserved it. It didn鈥檛 take long for Mahoney to choose one of her customers, a senior who regularly brought in baked goods for the staff and volunteered at homeless shelters.
The two women spent the day together, shopping and getting their nails done, and Mahoney realized that while her new friend did a lot for others, her busy life left very little time to pamper herself.
鈥淭his was the kind of woman who was always doing everything for everyone,鈥� she says.
Mahoney was left wondering how many other Nova Scotian seniors were in the same position.
鈥淚 was 22 at the time, and I鈥檇 already had a lot of experiences that most people in their 70s, 80s and 90s hadn鈥檛 had. It made me ask the bigger question 鈥楬ow many elders have unexplored wishes and dreams that they would still like to see fulfilled today鈥�?鈥�
Granting wishes
In a moment of synchronicity, Mahoney discovered that one of her co-workers, Cara Chisholm, shared her interest in spending time with seniors. Together, they co-founded We Are Young (WAY), a non-profit organization built on the premise that, after so many years of investing time in their communities, seniors deserve to have their wishes granted too.
Since 2015, WAY has granted 22 wide-ranging wishes, including a helicopter ride, a live Blue Jays game and a trip to Newfoundland to see an iceberg.
鈥淥ne lady had wanted to ride a Zamboni since the age of six,鈥� says Mahoney. Growing up, people told her she couldn鈥檛 do it because 鈥渢hat鈥檚 a boy thing and it鈥檚 not appropriate,鈥� but she鈥檇 never stopped dreaming. Fortunately, she mentioned her wish to the person who was sitting next to at her at one of her grandson鈥檚 hockey games. That person reached out to WAY, and the organization arranged for the woman to travel from Cape Breton to ride the Zamboni at a Halifax Mooseheads game.
As WAY continued to grow, Mahoney realized she鈥檇 have to decide between the organization and marine biology. 鈥淚 had to dedicate all of my time to one or the other,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 knew I could put [marine biology] on hold, but our elders can鈥檛 wait. WAY was needed then, and it鈥檚 needed now, so I jumped. It was a really hard decision to make, but it was worth it, 100 per cent. I wouldn鈥檛 change a thing.鈥�
Mahoney may have shelved a dream in order to help others, but the seniors she鈥檚 working with are making sure she doesn鈥檛 miss out on other opportunities.
Recently a 90-year-old woman, and another in her mid-seventies, wanted to go sky-diving together. When they learned that sky-diving was on Mahoney鈥檚 bucket list, too, they encouraged her to go. 鈥淚t was a wake-up call,鈥� says Mahoney. 鈥淭omorrow is never promised, so why [am I] waiting on something like this?鈥�
A pandemic shift
When the pandemic arrived, it was a perfect example of life鈥檚 unpredictability. With COVID-19 guidelines in place, it became more difficult to grant experience-based wishes, so WAY began looking for additional ways to support seniors. After about a month, they started sending 鈥渓ittle wishes鈥� to struggling or isolated seniors across Nova Scotia, in the form of care packages. So far, WAY has distributed more than 3000 of these.
鈥淭hey have tea, bread, crossword puzzles, a local paper, a mask, hand sanitizer, cookies, jam, and some other trinkets,鈥� says Mahoney. 鈥淲e try to keep those funds in our community as much as we can.鈥�
As long as WAY continues to receive the necessary financial support, Mahoney plans to continue granting wishes big and small. Much of WAY鈥檚 funding comes from grants, but people can also make charitable donations through their website.
鈥淥ur biggest realization is how we wish we could grant these wishes a lot quicker,鈥� says Mahoney. 鈥淚f we were a bigger organization, we could. And we鈥檒l get there, but time is of the essence. Some of our wish recipients aren鈥檛 with us today, but we鈥檙e very fortunate that we were able to make their wishes come true.鈥�