By Steve Sucato for Pointe Magazine

The holiday season is the perfect time for wishes to come true. So it was for former dancer Jennifer Levine, who received hers thanks to Wish of a Lifetime, a charitable affiliate of AARP that grants life-changing wishes to adults 65 years or older. Jennifer, who is in the advanced stages of macular degeneration, had hoped to once again experience a live performance by the ballet company she grew up seeing, New York City Ballet. Her disease has caused her eyesight to deteriorate to the level where she can no longer read, drive, or make out faces clearly.

Wish of a Lifetime from AARP contacted Jennifer—who grew up in New York, on Long Island, and now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina—after she was nominated by her daughter, Alexis Levine. The nonprofit arranged for Jennifer and Alexis to attend a December 6 matinee performance of NYCB’s George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at the David H. Koch Theater. Wish of a Lifetime from AARP covered all their travel, lodging, performance tickets, and incidentals.

“It was surreal. I had to pinch myself,” says Jennifer. “It’s one of the best things I could be doing at this point in my life, and to do so with my daughter is a wonderful thing.”

Her wish was among the over 3,000 that have been granted by Wish of a Lifetime from AARP. Since its founding in 2008, the organization has helped people reignite an old passion, reunite with loved ones, fulfill a lifelong dream, or commemorate service.

Click here to continue reading